Tales of the Alternate Universe
by SCIK1012
Summary: Finn Mertens lives for the sake of his family. He always tries his best to be a good boy and help his father bring some bread home. However, his life won't be as easy as it seems; a series of events could lead him to become either his town's greatest hero or enemy. It all starts with a ruthless gang, a messy red-haired girl and a mule.
1. Finn Mertens

**Hi there folks, you'll have to forgive me, but I have become obsessed with the idea of this alternate farmworld reality and everyone looking human like Choose Goose/Choose Bruce, it's just rad!**

**The artwork on the cover belongs to Rumay-Chian. I received direct permission from her to use it, and I encourage you to check out her beautiful art on her Deviantart profile as she's a great artist and the creator of an awesome Ice Prince comic! **

**Two little things before you start your reading: One, I have no idea if Finn's name is spelled Murtons or Merterns. The wiki says its Mertens, but I can't trust that. Two, the story begins a couple of years before the 'crown incident' so Finn's a bit younger and he doesn't have a bionic arm...yet.  
**

**Alright, that's all. I really hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter One: Finn Mertens**

Mrs. Mertens hummed a soft song while she pulled the well's rope down; her brow furrowed when she noticed that the bucket wasn't as heavy as it should. When she had finally brought it up, her blue eyes glanced at the pail's interior and then drifted to the ground in sadness. They were running out of water, she wouldn't be able to wash their clothes or clean the dishes, much less bath.

The blonde woman knew that they were living on hard times, but in any case, she raised her arm to wipe her forehead's sweat and smile at the clear skies. She had to stand strong for the sake of her son and his unborn sibling. Perhaps her husband would come back with some good news; perhaps Finn had a good day at school, perhaps Bruce would lend them his TV tonight. There were still many reasons to keep her spirit up.

She walked inside the house, holding the half-filled bucket in her hands, at least something good came out of the lack of water; it helped her carry the bucket's weight without worrying about her baby, or about dropping it without being able to pick it up. Mrs. Mertens stared at the old clock on the wall and sighed.

"Finn must be making his way home by now…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Miss Bonnibel stepped outside with a warm smile on her face, she had already rung the school's bell and soon a swarm of excited kids would come out running and yelling good-bye at her.

"Bye Miss Bonnie!" "See ya tomorrow Miss!" her children shouted as they slowed their pace to wave at her.

"Don't forget to do your homework!" the gleeful teacher replied, waving back at them.

Once the kids had disappeared from her sight, Miss Bonnibel walked back into the small and old building that served her as a school. It was a pleasure for her to work there; the school was built near the farming fields just a little further from the town.

When Bonnibel left the city after acquiring her certificate in education, she never thought that she would find happiness in that humble and simple village, faraway from the luxury and wealth that used to surround her back in her hometown.

Her parents didn't approve her decision of course, but she never gave it importance. She quickly grew fond of the hardworking people of that poor town; they eagerly built her a place to stay and fixed the abandoned school after she promised them a bright future for their children. She knew they deserved it.

Bonnibel didn't care if some of the farmers couldn't pay her for the education of their kids, sharing her vast knowledge and helping them achieve a higher level in society was enough payment for her. Teaching was her pride and her joy; her students would always make her feel special. They we are all honest, kind and well mannered.

"Soul-less ginger!"

"Sissy butt-face!"

Well, most of them… Bonnibel strode into the classroom and sent a glare to the two troublemakers that were supposed to be standing in opposites corners, thinking about their actions instead of insulting each other...again.

"Finn Mertens! Flanna Hacksworth!" the teacher called firmly "I was expecting more of you! Didn't I say a couple of minutes ago that boys and girls should treat each other with care and respect?"

"It ain't my fault Miss!" Finn Mertens answered. He was a twelve-year old boy with a white bear hat, tattered blue pants and a long sleeved-cyan shirt. A brown sash buttoned onto his pants helped him to keep them in their place. "Flanna's always mocking me!"

"That's because you always treat me like a piece of garbage!" Flanna Hacksworth cried in response. She was the same age as Finn; she was wearing an orange T-shirt and a brown vest. Her blue jeans were ripped on her left leg, letting her scraped and dirty knee uncovered, and her bright red hair was tied into a long braid at the level of her waist.

"That's not true! I don't even like to talk to her!" the blonde boy replied.

"You see Miss? He just said that he doesn't like me!" the green-eyed girl yelled back.

"Enough!" Miss Bonnibel said. She grabbed their hands and forced them to stare at each other, the two kids frowned and stuck out their tongues in disgust. "Kids… you can't keep living like this. You're both classmates and you are gonna keep seeing each other everyday, wouldn't it be nicer if you treated each other as friends instead of enemies?"

"Well, it would…" Finn sighed, causing his teacher to smile "If Flanna wasn't so nosy!"

"And if you weren't so stupid!" the girl yelled, lunging her body over him to punch his nose.

"Finn! Flanna! No!" Bonnibel cried in exasperation.

Both kids rolled on the floor, pulling each other's hair and scratching their faces. Finn used his knee to push Flanna away, but she somehow managed to grab one of his arms and bit it with all her strength while their distressed teacher fought to pull them apart.

"Boys are not supposed to hurt girls!" Miss Bonnibel yelled, struggling to hold Finn's fist away from Flanna's face "And girls are not supposed to attack boys!"

The red-haired girl pushed herself angrily towards Finn, making him hit his head against Bonnibel's desk. All her items fell over them, including a wooden ruler and black pen. Flanna grabbed the ruler without hesitation and used it to smack Finn's hands.

"Auw! You pesky freckly!" the boy grunted after blowing his aching knuckles. His blue eyes spotted the black pen and he quickly snatched it to use it against her "Let me make your face uglier!"

Finn was so enraged, that didn't even care to think on the consequences of his following act. He sprung towards Flanna and stretched his arm to stab her right cheek with the pen's tip. The green-eyed girl shrieked in pain as she stepped backwards, covering her hurt cheek with her hand.

Flanna shuddered a little and glanced at her hand, she flinched at the sight of her own blood and glared back at Finn with watery eyes "You're a freak and I hate you!" she cried.

"Flanna!" Miss Bonnibel shouted, running towards her, but the girl simply reeled herself back and hopped through an open window "Flanna, come back here!"

Finn lay on the floor, sticking his tongue out at the already gone girl. However, a saddened sigh from his teacher made him change his facial expression. Bonnibel looked back at him with disappointment. He didn't like to see her like that. Miss Bonnibel was a beautiful woman with blonde curled hair and pink cheekbones; she was known for being always nice and kind to everybody.

Every kid was happy around her and he, well, he once thought he had a crush on her. Finn loved how easy it was to make his teacher smile and how hard it was to make her angry, but this was the first time he had ever seen her sad, and he didn't like it.

"Finn…" the teacher whispered, crouching down by his side "Your mother must have raised you better than this…"

Her words stung him deeply.

"It's hard to believe that a kind-hearted boy like you could have hurt a girl…" Bonnibel moved closer to him "You could have pocked out her eye with that pen!"

"But…! Miss…! Flanna hurt me first!" Finn eagerly rebuked.

"I'm aware of what she did and believe me, her father will know about this." The teacher stated in an almost harsh manner "But you shouldn't have hurt her back, you should've tried to calm her down…! I-I… I don't understand what's wrong with the two of you…! Why do you hate each other so much?"

Finn turned his face away and frowned.

"Won't you tell me, Finn?"

"I don't like her, that's all!" the boy yelled, facing his teacher again "I've tried to be good with her, but she keeps bothering me all the time! Maybe she's evil or something…" he muttered the last part.

"Evil?" Miss Bonnibel tilted her head in confusion. The idea of the Hacksworth girl being evil was just absurd "Finn she is not evil! Have you ever tried to ask her why she's so bothered around you?"

"No…" the boy whispered.

"You see? Finn, you should try to seek what's her problem with you and work it out." The teacher smiled "Give her a chance…!"

"Mmmm…" Finn crossed his arms and stared at the ground "I don't think so!"

"Finn!"

"No, miss! I don't wanna! I hate her!" he shouted, getting on his feet "I'm going home, now!"

Bonnibel grasped his shoulder "Of course you're going home!" she sentenced "With me. Your mother and I have a lot to talk about!"

Finn flinched, not his mother. He could take his teacher's look of disappointment, but not his mother's; she worked hard the whole day, expecting him to return home and brighten up her day. She didn't need to hear any of this. It would make her sad…

"Miss Bonnibel please, I beg you…"

"I'm sorry Finn, not this time."

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn rested on his bed while his blue eyes pierced the ceiling. His mother had grounded him after asking him to search for the Hacksworth girl and apologize to her.

"_Why should I apologize to her?! Everything's her fault mom!" _

"_Finn…! What are you saying?!_

"_I'm sick of this! I'm sick of everything in this town! My whole life sucks!"_

"_I've heard enough! Go to your room Finn!" … "I'm sorry your father and I can't give you the life you think you deserve…!"_

The look in her eyes… Finn just couldn't shake it off. It hurt him badly to know that his mother believed that he wasn't being grateful enough, he hadn't mean it. It was all Flanna's fault.

"Bleh…" Finn hated everything about that girl "I won't go look for her! She ruined my day, she's the one who should apologize…"

He turned and trashed on his bed angrily. Some seconds after his silent tantrum, Finn decided to lay, facing his bedroom's window. The trees were being slowly covered with the warm colors of autumn. A large old oak had always stood outside, giving him some sort of company. He enjoyed the sound of the wind shaking its leaves, bright red-colored leaves…just like Flanna's hair.

"Bleh…!" Finn rolled down trying not to vomit and yelled to himself in disgust "What the heck Finn?!"

His arms pulled him up of the floor and helped him to lean on the window's frame. Now everything around him was becoming red, just like his embarrassed cheeks. What else could go wrong?

"_Yes dear, I understand…" _his mother's voice echoed from downstairs. His father must have arrived. _"These months of drought have been hard, but autumn's coming, the rain will cover your crops soon…!" _

"…"

"_Oh…right…then the winter will blow all your work away…" _

"More bad news…" the boy whispered "I don't need to hear anymore of this…I'd better check on Cecile…"

Finn jumped through the window and embraced the old oak to stop his fall and descend skillfully from it. Once his feet had reached the cold grass, he tiptoed towards the barn and sneaked inside it, right under his parent's noses.

The hay felt warm under his bare feet, his father's work horses neighed softly at him and Finn patted their backs tenderly. Some of his happiness had finally returned. In the barn he was completely surrounded by his four-legged friends…

"Cluck!" a chicken passed by his feet.

"Hey Lorraine!" Finn smiled, crouching down to pet her with his finger.

…And some other non-human two-legged ones, but you get the point.

A loud bray called Finn's attention and he immediately rushed to its source. Cecile was his father's mule, she had been with the Mertens family since he was four-years-old, and the greatest thing about her was that she was pregnant. Finn was very excited about this because his father had promised him that he would take care of the calf, and he was planning to make him his best friend.

The boy sat down and stroke Cecile's mane softly "How are you doing, huh? Is Bartram okay?"

Yes, Bartram was the name that he had chosen for the baby. The funny thing was that Finn was more excited about Cecile's pregnancy than about his mother's _"You care more about that old mule than about me!"_ his mother would joke _"Who brought you to this world? Cecile?"_

That truth was that Mrs. Mertens was a good mother, even though the farm work and Finn's issues could make her a little grumpy some times, but that's just the way mothers are.

"You're gonna be a good mother, right Cecile?" Finn asked as his hand caressed the mule's fur. "Try not to be too much like mo-…"

A rustle made the animal's ear twitch and this didn't go unnoticed by Finn.

"What's that? Who's there?" the blonde boy asked sternly "Stay here, Cecile. I'm gonna check outside…"

Finn peeked through the barn's gate nervously, it was getting late and dark, someone could be hiding in the bushes. It could be a thief or something worse.

"Hello?" Finn stepped outside this time "Y-you'd better get away from my…my house…!" Something flashed in the corner of his eye; Finn quickly turned around to see it and noticed a short chubby shadow on the barn's wall "Get back here, coward!"

He chased the shadow, but when he reached the borderline with his father's cornfields the strange figure had already disappeared.

"Weird…" Finn whispered "I swear I saw something…it-it had a hat on it's head and junk!" Another rustle cracked in his ears "Aha! I got ya…!"

The blonde boy dove into the bushes, but to his surprise, he didn't land on a person like he had thought. It was something furry, small and fat. "What the?" Finn groaned.

"Bark!" "Bark!"

Finn's eyes widened in amazement "A puppy…!" he picked the dog from the ground and stared at him with an excited grin. His fur was golden and his ears were somewhat short "You're a bulldog puppy! That's the best kind of pup you know, man?"

"Bark!" the puppy licked the human's face.

"Eww..! Hehe, I've got the perfect name for you!" Finn embraced the small dog and carried him stealthy into his home, climbing the oak tree in front of his window.

"Listen…" Finn whispered "Mom's not in a very good mood today, I don't think she's gonna let you stay…"

"Houw…" the puppy moaned as if he had just understood what Finn said.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you hidden until she gets back to normal…" the boy laid his head on his pillow and pulled the dog close to his chest "Maybe inside my backpack… hmmm… But I don't remember where's that old thing…"

"Bouw…"

Finn covered the puppy with his blanket and scratched his head "I promise I'll look for it tomorrow…" he yawned "From now on, you and I will be friends…Jake…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
It couldn't have been that bad right? Things are going to get more interesting as the story progresses and the D-gang breaks in, or at least that's my intention. You guys just tell me if I should continue with this :)

_**2/06/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	2. Flanna Hacksworth

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Two: Flanna Hacksworth**

Her feet kissed the ground repeatedly, lifting puffs of dirt and withered leaves behind them as the red-haired girl passed by. The night was falling upon her and that wasn't a good sign. She raised her pleading eyes towards the sky, asking the sun to stay up some more minutes for her. Mr. Hacksworth –her father– had warned her that if she came home past dusk, there would be bad consequences.

"Dang it!" she muttered, her hurried breath was now visible thanks to the cold "It's all that Mertens boy's fault!"

Flanna lived on the other side of the valley, it took her at least two hours to get home and usually she'd be there before dusk –but no when Miss Bonnibel punished her with detention. She gritted her teeth, thinking of how lucky the Mertens boy was. Since the school was built near the farming fields, his house was literally around the corner; he'd never be late for home or classes.

She shut her eyes and shook off the thoughts of that annoying boy from her head, if she arrived late her father would know that she was in detention and he would probably lock her in her bedroom the whole weekend. Flanna hated that punishment more than anything; she couldn't tolerate the idea of being confined in small spaces, rooms or whatever, without being able to escape. Her claustrophobia felt like an overwhelming illness at times, but Mr. Hacksworth didn't seem to care about it. He would always use it against Flanna to keep her under control.

Her hand reached out for her chest, she was starting to suffocate just for thinking about it "Calm down Flanna… calm down…" the girl whispered softly "Life would be much easier if dad was a farmer… Mr. Mertens and Finn work outside the whole day in the fields, but no… Dad has to be the owner of the town's colliery!"

Coal mining was the worst job ever for a claustrophobic girl like Flanna, but for her father digging coal was like digging gold. The whole town was powered thanks to his colliery, which ment that everyone's money ended up in his pocket.

The Hacksworths weren't exactly a rich family, but there was no doubt that they lived better than the rest of the villagers in Junktown. Especially during winter, when everyone's crops withered and their need for coal increased.

Flanna quit her running. It was too late now; she'd better save her breath for later when she'll really need it. Her father was going to lock her up for sure. Flanna walked by her father's mines, staring at some dirty and sweaty men, who were obviously covered with coal. The only thing on them that wasn't blackened, was the shiny smile that they gave her as she passed by.

Her house was just a little bit farther, Flanna dashed in front of the colliery, hoping that her father was still busy inside his office and scurried towards her home. Unlike most of the houses in the valley, her house wasn't a simple wooden shack; it was a robust redbrick building surrounded by an elegant gate made of steel. They used to have a nice front yard covered with many different kinds of beautiful flowers, but since Mrs. Hacksworth passed away, it had been neglected a long time ago.

Flanna pushed the door softly and tiptoed towards the staircase, if her father wasn't home she'd probably have the chance to wash herself and change her clothes, snatch a sandwich from the kitchen and pretend that she had been working on her homework the whole afternoon... But as soon as her foot touched the first step…

"Flanna Hacksworth…" a deep voice called from the living room.

The girl shuddered and sighed, "Yes father?"

"Come over here."

Flanna gulped nervously and obeyed, dragging herself fearfully towards the living room where her father was sitting calmly. She couldn't see his face because his sofa was facing the chimney, and even if she dared to stand between him and the fire, a huge newspaper was being held in front of his face.

"Your teacher called." Her father announced.

The girl embraced herself "S-she did?"

"You fought with the Mertens boy again, didn't you?" the man commented sternly "It's the fifth time this month…"

"I know…"

"Well, that's not what it seems!" he growled "Come here, I want you to look at me when I talk!"

Flanna did as told. Her father lowered the newspaper and the first thing he did was to glare at her, then he examined her clothing and sighed in frustration.

"Flanna…what happened to your clothes…?" her father asked as his finger pointed her ripped off jeans and her scrapped knee.

"I… I kinda jumped over the Robinsons' fence and their big dog almost ate me for lunch… hehe…"

"Last week you almost drowned in the swamp, Bruce's geese bit your ankles and you got hit by a cart at the market…"Mr. Hacksworth raised his newspaper again "Now you come home late, with torn clothes and a bloody cheek... is it too hard for you to stay away from trouble?"

"Well…"

"Perhaps I've given you too much freedom lately…"

"No, Dad! I…!" Flanna knew what was about to happen.

"Just wash yourself and go to sleep, we'll discuss this later…"

The girl lowered her head "Yes sir, I'm sorry…" she began to walk with a sad pace towards the staircase once again.

"Flanna…" her father left his newspaper on his seat and knelt next to her. He raised her chin with his thumb and stared into her green eyes "Listen, I'm just doing this because I care too much for you. When your mother left, I swore I'd take care of you... but getting hit by a cart each time you step in the market… Flanna… you're way too rash and impulsive for your own good."

The red-haired girl studied her father's face in silence; he was a tall and sturdy-bodied man. The hand holding her chin was way bigger than her head, everything about him was massive. Father and daughter shared the same eye and hair color; a russet beard surrounded his face's frame and a wild mane (which he never cared to comb) covered his head.

"Listen dear," Mr. Hacksworth continued, leading her sight towards the chimney "look at those flames… they provide light and warmth, but that's because we keep them under constant control. If I didn't restrict the amount of wood that I throw in there, or if I just let them burn free –the fire would rage and create chaos. You are like those flames, it seems that I still need to keep you under constant control otherwise, that Mertens kid will get another black eye in any moment…"

"But dad, I didn't give him a black eye…" Flanna protested "This time I just punched his nose…"

"Flanna… That's not the point; if you can't control yourself, then you're giving me no choice but to lock you in your bedroom again. You'll only be allowed to leave for school and-…"

"No, father I… I'm not like the fire! Flames can't learn, but I can…! Give me another opportunity! I promise to control myself…please… I can behave… I can behave…" the girl pleaded, holding her father's arm tightly.

Mr. Hacksworth tapped her back gently "All right, I'll give you one last chance." He smiled, raising her chin again "But if you get in trouble again, I won't let you play outside anymore. Is that clear?"

Flanna hugged her father and nodded with excitement "Thanks, dad."

"Fine... now go wash yourself and meet me here at eight for dinner."

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn woke up before sunrise just like he did every Saturday and went downstairs, searching for his old green backpack. His mother was sitting at the table, wearing her usual pink dress and he wondered if she was still mad at him.

"Good morning mom!" the boy said in a happy manner.

"Morning son…" she replied dully, not even looking back at him "Your father is waiting for you."

"Oh… yeah…"

If his mother was still mad then, introducing her to Jake wouldn't be a good idea. Finn left her alone and dashed into the kitchen, he ran through the backdoor and reached his father's tool vault in the backyard. His hands rummaged insistently among all of his father's rusty trash until they finally managed to find his backpack.

"Yay! Now I gotta get Jake!"

Finn climbed the oak tree so that he could enter his bedroom through the window, in an attempt to avoid meeting his mother's cold shoulder again. The golden puppy wagged his tail when the boy popped inside and ran in circles around his feet excitedly.

"Woof! Woof!"

"Yeah, yeah! You can come with me, but you'll have to stay very quiet." Finn instructed once he had managed to get the puppy inside his backpack "I'm afraid that mom won't like you yet…"

"Bouw…?"

"Don't worry buddy it's not your fault," the boy assured, swinging the green bag on his shoulders "It's Flanna's fault! You can pee on her foot when we see her at school this Monday, hehe!"

A while later Finn walked inside the hen-house where his father was waiting for him so that the two could help each other collecting the eggs. Mr. Mertens smiled and waved at the boy when he noticed his presence inside.

"You're not angry dad?" the boy asked shyly.

His father shrugged and smiled again.

"You're a cool guy, dad." Finn whispered as he checked the coops "Hey! I think we've been robbed!"

Mr. Mertens frowned and pushed Finn away to check the nests by himself, a bump got stuck in his throat. He had passed by the hen-house a few days ago and he was sure that his chickens had produced a good amount of eggs, but… what happened to them?"

"I saw something weird yesterday!" his son stated angrily "I think we have a thief roaming around our farm, dad!"

Mr. Mertens tapped his shoulder, asking him to calm down.

"No dad, I'm sure it wasn't a fox! Someone was here, lurking in the darkness… a thief!" Finn replied, clenching his fists "This isn't fair, you were planning to sell them on the market for winter!"

His father shook his head softly and hugged him tenderly.

"But…dad… sell the chickens?" the boy whispered sadly "Guess there's no other way, right?"

Mr. Mertens nodded.

"Houw!" Jake's head suddenly popped out of Finn's backpack, startling the heck out of his father. The man managed to calm himself down and pointed the puppy with curiosity.

"Oh… this is Jake, you were not supposed to see him until mom's temper went down but… hehe" the boy chuckled nervously "Please don't tell her, I found Jake in the cold and he needs a home! Winter's coming soon, he could starve or die, or…!"

His father put his finger on his mouth and smiled.

"You won't tell her?" His father shook his head "You're the best dad ever!" Finn yelled joyfully and jumped into Mr. Mertens' arms.

The man rolled his eyes and raised his hands slightly in a doubtful manner.

"You're asking why mom's mad at me?" Finn replied, "Well, it's that Hacksworth girl's fault! She's crazy dad, I tell ya!"

His father looked startled by Finn's sudden reaction and tilted his head.

"I'm always getting detention because of her! Yesterday she was attacked by the Robinsons' dog and she tried to use me as a shield, then I said that she was nuts and she yelled at me! And Miss Bonnie punished us! And we fought again! And she punched my nose, and smacked my hand with a ruler!"

Mr. Mertens crossed his arms and stared at him.

"Well…yeah, I kinda…hurt her too…" his son answered with shame "Then Miss Bonnibel brought me home and told mom everything… And I said bad things to her…"

His father grabbed him by the arm and pulled him outside, Finn stared at him with confusion all the way until he stopped near the garden and offered him a flower.

"A rose?" Finn whispered "For mom? Dad I don't think that-…!" Mr. Mertens knocked his head "Ow! Okay, I get it…! I gotta tell mom I'm sorry!" his father pinched his arm "Auch! And tell her that I'll apologize to Flanna…!"

Mr. Mertens smiled.

"You're cool dad, but I don't know if this is a good idea…" the boy sighed "I don't really feel like looking for that girl… But I'll do it for mom."

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn walked in circles around the golden fields with Jake following him close behind, he was feeling uneasy and nervous. Apologize to Flanna? He didn't really see how that could happen; the girl was probably going to attack him again, she had to be hatting him deeply right now.

"_Oh Finn, that's such a wonderful idea…!" his mother exclaimed, embracing him warmly. "I'm sure you can be nice to that girl…"_

"Argh! Jake, this is crazy! I can't do it!" the blonde boy complained.

The bulldog puppy blinked and tilted his head.

"What I'm supposed to say? 'Flanna, I'm sorry you're a psycho?'"

Jake tilted his head to the other side.

"Look Jake, it isn't as easy as it se-…!" something cracked under his foot "What the?"

Finn crouched down and stared at it carefully, it was a broken eggshell. Jake sniffed it and ran a little bit further "Bark!"

"What is it buddy?" the boy asked, getting closer "Another one?"

In fact, there was a long trail of eggshells that disappeared into some bushes near an old hollow tree. Finn and Jake followed them inside, whoever stole his father's chicken eggs was surely at the end of that trail and Finn swore that he was going to find him.

"Grrr…!" Jake growled after making a sudden stop at a random spot and began to scratch the ground with his paws in an uneasy manner.

"What are you doing, Jake? There's no time for digging up bones!" the boy said, picking the yellow puppy up of the ground and got him inside his backpack "We gotta find the thief, c'mon!"

"Bouw…" the dog moaned, still glaring at the same mysterious spot.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Flanna walked the whole morning with the intention of keeping herself as far away from her father as possible, that way; if she made a mistake he wouldn't notice it. She wandered around the farming fields aimlessly, hoping to find somewhere to rest her tired feet.

She knew there was a small pond somewhere close to the school, but that meant that it was also close to the Mertens' farm and if she wanted to avoid trouble, she had to avoid Finn Mertens at all cost.

"But maybe…" the girl said to herself "Maybe he's too busy doing farm work, so it's probable that he's not hanging around this place!"

Her feet drove her towards the pond in a matter of seconds. There she crouched down near the crystalline water and peeked at her reflection. There was a small piece of adehesive bandage covering her wounded cheek. "Finn's a psycho…" she muttered while her hand rubbed the still aching injury.

Flanna punched the water and laid her back down onto the grass, trying forget her problems and enjoy the blue skies above her. A "crack" sound beneath her made her spring up in surprise "What the?" she wondered, picking up the weird object "An eggshell?"

"Aha!" Finn Mertens shouted after jumping from out of nowhere "I got ya! Egg thief!"

"Egg thief? What are you talking about?!" she could feel the anger building inside her just by staring at him.

Nothing good could come out of this… or maybe, it can?

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, Mertens is the right spelling of the name (Thanks again Striker =D) so I guess we can just leave it like that.

Since a lot of people liked this story I'm going to continue it and I'll try to update it twice a week (but remember, that my other fic 'The Awakening of Heroes' demands more time, so I can't really promise anything)

With that said, watch out for the Destiny Gang coming in the next chapter! Gob, I hate those guys...

_**2/06/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.** _


	3. Miss Tea Hanks

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Three: Miss Tea Hanks **

Bonnibel's Saturday started like any other normal day in her daily routine. She went to Junktown's market, paid some taxes at the bank, strolled through the farming fields, pulled Finn and Flanna out of Mr. Gibb's pig farm's mud (preventing them both from strangling each other) and went back to the school, where she was working on checking and grading last week's tests.

As the highly educated teacher did this, she was trying to focus on listening to the woman who was sitting in front of her desk. Miss Teana Hanks, or Tea Hanks for short, was an elderly woman with a preference for handsome men and the wonders of the feminine touch in every daily labor.

She was dressed in a yellow button-up shirt, a light green coat and a dark green skirt that reached her black leather heels. Miss Hanks had the tendency of dyeing her greyish curls with a tint of gold, and always wore a fancy hat with a pink bow and two cloth apples, which she personally sewed on it.

"…Then I heard something strange near Mr. Gibb's barn, so I went to check it out and found Finn and that girl fighting like little animals in the mud…" Miss Tea said, remembering that morning's incident "Then he told me: 'Tee, these kids act like animals' and I replied: 'Well, maybe we are all animals…Think about you and me, don't call them like that…!"

Her voice was slow, shaky and sweet. Bonnibel loved to talk with her, but not when she was as busy as today. "Uh huh…" the school teacher replied while she read Finn's test.

"I think these poor kids that you have grounded in those corners were not fighting 'cause they are vandals or trouble makers… I told Gibb that maybe they were just upset. When babies are upset they fight and yell a lot 'cause they are hungry…" Tea Hanks held her chin and raised her head thoughtfully "Well, not always, sometimes they just do it because their diapers are dirty…but that's not the case!"

Miss Bonnibel closed her books and aligned all the paperwork on her desk, she took off her small glasses and stared at Miss Hanks "So?" she asked, waiting for her naïve justification of Finn and Flanna's recent, and probably not last, clash.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Tea Hanks giggled, "These poor things were upset 'cause they are hungry!" the old woman leaned downwards and pulled up a basket "Here, I baked them some apple pies! Now you can let them go!"

Miss Tea's famous apple pies were now placed over Bonnibel's paperwork, those were surely the best apple pies in the whole town, Tea Hanks' apple farm was widely known because of their sweet cinnamon flavor… simply impossible to resist.

"Miss Hanks…" Bonnibel sighed, trying to sound as gentle as possible.

"Please, call me Tea!" the elderly woman smiled.

"Sure, umm… Tea… Finn and Flanna were not fighting because they were hungry or upset… they have some sort of issue against each other that I'm still unable to solve. Th-they fight all the time!"

"Then they must be hungry all the time…!" Tea Hanks exclaimed in worry "Oh, those poor things…"

"Miss Tea…" Bonnibel protested "I thank you for trying to help them, really… But those pies are not the solution, please let me take care of this situation, okay?"

Tea Hanks looked disappointed, she took her basket back and abandoned her seat "I'm sorry to hear that, it's a shame I made you lose some of your time…"

"Oh no, it's always a pleasure to have you here!" the teacher exclaimed with sincerity "But Finn and Flanna… they are a tough case…"

"I understand. Have a nice afternoon, Miss Bonnie."

Tea Hanks strode towards the classroom's door and stopped briefly in the middle of the two corners where a pair of muddy kids were supposed to be reflecting on why attacking each other is not a good thing to do. The old pie-baker grinned mischievously and whispered.

"_I'll leave the pies under the tree…!" _

"Miss Tea Hanks…" Bonnibel muttered.

"Oh! I was just telling them to behave!" she complained _"See ya later…"_

And with that, the enthusiastic Tea Hanks left the scene; Finn couldn't help but to chuckle silently at her. She could always make everyone smile, even after being chased by Flanna throughout the whole field, and ending up in the mud for calling her "egg thief".

That girl…Finn didn't care if she was the one who stole the eggs or not anymore, but it was her fault that they were now trapped at school on Saturday and on top of that, bathed in pig poop. Why'd she have to be like that? Perhaps Flanna was right in getting mad with him for accusing her without having any trustable proofs, but she didn't have to be so violent.

"I wonder what's her problem…" the blonde boy muttered as he glanced at her.

Flanna's face was stamped against the wall, her reddish hair was still wet and dirty, her clothes were a mess and she had lost one of her sandals. For some reason she hadn't complained or stuck out her tongue at him angrily as she always did, Flanna was acting weird and her constant sobbing was making Finn worried.

"_Did I really hit her that hard?" _the boy wondered, still staring at her.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Miss Tea Hanks had been waiting for them outside the whole time with a muddy Jake puppy sitting by her feet. When their teacher freed them from their punishment, the gleeful old woman dragged them to her apple farm and served them a hot piece of pie with vanilla ice cream on top.

Finn munched his slice in a huff and even dared to lick the dish. Tea Hanks' pies literally made him crazy; no normal human was able to resist the deliciousness of their flavor except for one in particular, Flanna.

The red-haired girl didn't even accept Tea Hanks' invitation of taking a seat inside her cute pink-colored house; she just stayed outside, sitting by the duck pond all by herself.

"Weirdo…" the boy whispered.

Tea Hanks stared through the window and then gave Finn a confused glance "You're wrong, she ain't a weirdo…she's just sad…"

"Sad? How can you know that?"

Miss Hanks gasped in disbelief "Can't you notice it? It's scribbled all over her face!" she rested her hand on Finn's shoulder "Sad people have trouble to express their feelings and it's not easy for them to make friends…"

"But why would Flanna be sad?" Finn frowned "Her father is like the most powerful man in town and they have a big house filled with expensive stuff…!"

Tea Hanks shook her head and stroke Finn's hair softly "Those things have never granted happiness to anyone, Flanna barely sees her father and her mother died five years ago, remember? You on the other side have a mom and dad hanging around all the time…there's even a new family member on the way…!"

"Bartram?"

The old baker laughed and pushed him gently "No silly, I'm talking about your little brother!" her grey eyes drifted back to the window "Flanna's always alone in that big house filled with expensive stuff…"

"Oh…" Finn whispered joylessly "Someone should do something about it… and cheer her up!"

"Yeah," Tea Hanks nodded "Someone nice and kind with a knack to befriend people, I wish I knew someone like that…"

Finn could feel the weight of Tea Hanks' stare over him, he turned his head at her and pointed his chest skeptically "Me? Nah, no way… it won't work!"

"Please Finn, it's clear that she needs someone of her same age to play and hang out!" Miss Tea threw her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close "You are the most benevolent kid I have ever known, if someone can help her change that aggressive attitude of hers, it's you."

"But Tea Hanks… Flanna totally hates me!"

"Then try to change that, make her feel comfortable around you…!" she handed him Flanna's slice of pie and smiled "Show her you care…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn held the dish nervously as he walked towards the pond. Jake was following him closely to make sure he'd do what Tea Hanks said and not just run away with Flanna's pie.

"Umm… Flanna…" she heard him call from behind.

"Get lost, will ya?"

The boy whipped himself back and strode away from her with the apple pie. Jake noticed this quickly and bit his pants to force his owner to stay.

"Jake, didn't you hear what she just said?! I'm just avoiding another fight!"

"Bouw…" the bulldog moaned, giving him an uneasy look.

"Fine…" Finn returned to Flanna's side and sat down "I'm just gonna sit here, it's a free country…"

She glared at him and rolled her eyes "You're right. I'm outta here."

"No!" he shrieked, pulling her hand "Stay, I just wanna chat it up with you! I'm-I'm sorry…"

"For what?!" Flanna demanded angrily "For calling me thief?! For stabbing my face?! For being the source of all my troubles?!"

The blonde boy gulped, letting go of her hand "For everything…" he lowered his sight until he met his reflection in the water "Listen, I know you're sad…"

"So now it's pretty obvious, huh?" she crossed her arms defiantly "Since when do you care about how do I feel?!"

"Since I saw you cry…"

His response made her flinch, Finn was staring at her with a compassionate look on his face and it made her feel confused.

"You should try Tea Hanks' pie," he suggested as he got up on his feet to face her "Look, if I got you in more trouble with your dad today…forgive me…"

Flanna received the plate hesitantly and watched him leave in silence, Jake ran behind him trying his best to keep up with his –in comparison with his tiny paws– big feet and the long steps they would make as the boy walked away.

"Don't look back, don't look back…" Finn murmured, "Just leave it like that…"

"Grrr…!" Jake growled in annoyance.

"What else do you want me to do? What if I say something stupid and she gets mad at me again?"

"Grrr…!"

"Alright, I'll trust you and Tea Hanks' advice…!"

Flanna had already turned her sight away from the departing boy, her green eyes were fixed on the slice of apple pie as she wondered why Finn's words hadn't irritated her as usual. His sudden concern towards her was something that she couldn't fully understand, Finn had never cared before... No one did.

Her sight flew towards the pond, noticing with bewilderment another reflection standing next to hers. Flanna turned around with a gasp and bumped with a fully blushed Finn in front of her. His hands were gripped tightly and his whole body was twitching in nervousness.

"Finn?"

The boy quickly leaned in and pecked her hurt cheek; he quickly became blurry in the instant his lips left her damaged skin, due to him dashing away at high speed. She just remained there statically, watching the cloud of dust that once was an annoying bear-hatted boy disappear in the distance.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn and Jake reached a tree somewhere near to their home and hid behind it to catch their breaths. There was no reason to hide at all, it was obvious that the red-haired girl wasn't following them; it was just Finn's embarrassment asking him to hide his reddened face from the rest of the world.

"Woof! Woof!" Jake barked happily, circling Finn's feet.

"Quit it Jake, it's not what you think!" the boy quickly stuck out his tongue and began to 'clean it' frantically with his both hands "Bleh, bleh! Kissing Flanna Hacksworth, nastiest thing I've done in my life…!"

"Grrr…!"

"No, Jake. I'm not trying to hide any repressed feelings towards that screwball girl…!"

"Houw!"

"Are you deaf?! I'm telling you it was awful!" Finn turned his face away and closed his eyes in attempt to look indignant "She had an adhesive bandage on her cheek and now my mouth tastes like a drugstore!"

Jake stood on his hind legs and leaned on Finn's knee with his frontal paws, asking the boy to scoop him up.

"Are you tired of running around, buddy? Guess we should go home now…"

Finn made some steps forward, carrying the yellow puppy in his arms; a strange distant sound invaded his ears all of a sudden. Something noisy was coming at full speed towards them, the farmer boy had only three seconds to react, barley ducking the incoming object.

His body fell over some hawthorn shrubs that stung his skin and ripped his already dirty clothes. Thankfully, the strong embrace he held on Jake protected him from being hurt by the thorns.

"What the?!" Finn yelled with an enraged voice, that thing could have killed them both.

His blue eyes squinted to glimpse a rusty pickup truck, traveling in the direction he had just come from. Three men dressed with freakish clothing were signing and laughing on top of their lungs in the truck's bed as if they hadn't seen the boy on the way. Finn had never seen a car before, they were quite rare and unique, but he knew about them from his father's merchant-traveling stories.

"Those guys are not from this neighborhood…" the boy murmured as he watched the truck rushing towards the town "I wonder who the heck are they…"

"Bouw…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Tea Hanks carried some dirty dishes through the kitchen, placed them on the sink and squeezed a sponge to wash them. She smiled at the window in front of her; there was beautiful sunset in the horizon.

The sudden sound of young laughter warned her of the presence of someone in her property. "Visitors?" the old lady whispered as she removed the soap from her hands and went to open the door.

Five young men with eccentric hairstyles and exotic clothing were sitting on her apple crates, joking and chatting with each other. Tea Hanks smiled in relief upon discovering that they weren't thieves or something worse. Usually visitors only came in the morning, but probably those foreigners were oblivious of that fact.

Miss Tea noticed that each of them was holding one of her fresh apples and infered that they could be hungry travelers, so she stepped outside and gave them a warm welcome.

"Good afternoon, I'm glad to see you're enjoying my apples!"

"Your… apples?" A man with a reddish scar around one of his eyes replied, "We didn't know they had an owner…"

"Oh no! You don't have to worry about that…!" Tea Hanks exclaimed gently "I'm always glad to help those in need with whatever I can, in fact, why don't you come inside and try one of my famous apple pies?"

Four of them turned towards a man with long orange hair and dark purple funky shades. He spat the apple that he was chewing and grinned, "What are you waiting for? This good lady has given us an invitation!"

Tea Hanks' apple pies enchanted them, their leader seemed pleased with her treat and got up from his seat to shake hands with her.

"These apple pies are exquisite… a wonderful munching experience indeed…!"

"Oh my!" the old baker blushed "Thank you!"

The man smirked "Big-D is proud to announce that these pies are now part of his possessions! No one but me shall enjoy their sweet taste, ever again!"

"Awww…" the other men sighed dropping their forks aside in sadness.

"Umm… I'm glad to hear you liked them…" Tea Hanks stammered in confusion "But I'm afraid that I don't understand what you just said…"

"Easy Miss, now you will bake apple pies just for me!" He glanced at his men and snapped his fingers "Tromo, explain this lady what I'm taking about!"

The man with the scar on his eye drew his sword and slashed Tea Hanks' oven. Smoke and sparks flew into the air, causing the old lady to gasp in horror.

"What have you done?! I need that!" Tea Hanks leaned on the wall as the five men came closer to corner her "Help! Mr. Gibb! Mr. Gibb!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you very much to all those who reviewed, favorited or followed this, it really helps me to keep the words flowing :)

Here's the third chapter, I hope you have enjoyed reading it! The next one will be posted during the week so stay tuned!

_**2/06/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	4. Big Destiny

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Four: Big Destiny**

The way back home was going to feel weird for Flanna this time. Sure, she was walking forward to something she knew well; she was late, she was hurt, dirty, and she had failed to keep her promise. Her father was waiting at home to remind her of all of that and then lock her up for the whole weekend, however, she wasn't feeling like she was supposed to. Flanna smiled, she had a good hunch, but it was hard to accept that the Mertens boy was responsible for it.

Although she knew where she was heading to, her future was uncertain, and she realized it when a powerful shriek froze her feet onto the ground.

"Get your hands off my lady!" a man shouted.

A brief moment of silence, in which Flanna struggled to decide if she should go check the road behind her or continue walking forward, was cut by the sound of a gunshot.

"Miss Hanks…!" the red-haired girl gasped in concern.

She clenched her teeth and sent one last glance to the road before her. She had made a choice. Driven by her own impulsive nature, Flanna Hacksworth ran back towards the apple farm. The scene that she found when her feet took her into Miss Tea Hanks' house left her speechless. Flanna had covered her mouth in an attempt to hide the panicked look on her face.

A short man with a stoutly built body was lying on the kitchen's floor, trying to comfort Miss Tea with a brave grin while she tried to cover a bleeding wound on his chest, as her other hand stroke the bald spot on his head softly. The red-haired girl quickly assumed that he was the famous Mr. Gibb, Miss Tea Hanks' boyfriend.

The poor man insisted on soothing the pouring tears that his "lady" was shedding over him, saying that he was okay and that everything was going to be fine. However, the slow crimson stain that was crawling down his white undershirt said otherwise.

"F-Flanna, my girl!" Tea Hanks shrieked once her eyes had glimpsed her standing on the door "How come you're still here?! You should be in your home already!"

"Are you okay?" the girl inquired, ignoring the previous question. She didn't wait for an answer "I'll go look for help!"

With that, Flanna left the place, using all her strength to run as fast as her tired feet could. She didn't know where she was heading to, all she knew was that she needed to find a doctor. The night had fallen upon her, covering everything in darkness. For a moment Flanna wished that she could be like the flames that her father had showed her one day ago, at least she would be able to see where she was going.

Thankfully her ears didn't need light to work; she could hear a strange noise coming from a nearby meadow. Her eyes grew in surprise when they spotted a small rusty truck just ahead of her. That kind of vehicle wasn't very common around that area, but she knew from her father that they were faster than any racing horse in the world.

"Hey!" the girl shouted as she tried to catch up with it "Stop! Please!" The car's lights went out and its tires stopped their running. Flanna arrived huffing and puffing, a grateful smile gracing her face.

The driver's door was opened slowly and a pair of pink sneakers were the first thing that showed up from behind it. Flanna made some shy steps backwards, the orange-haired man before her was somehow intimidating, but she managed to keep herself cool.

"Well, well, well…" the man chuckled "What do we have here? A pretty firefly who's trying to get in our way!"

"I'm…I'm no firefly!" Flanna replied defiantly "I need help!"

"Help?" a man with pink clothes and a black mask repeated.

"Yeah, help! That thing, that's a truck, right? You could reach the town on it in the blink of an eye!"

"So?" Another man asked as he crossed his arms.

Flanna felt frustrated "Well, I was hoping that-…!" she trailed off, those men had at least ten apple crates on their car and a rifle… "You…you did it…" the red-haired girl gulped "You were the ones who shot Mr. Gibb!"

"Hehehe! Hold on, Firefly!" their leader chuckled "Before you make any accusations, you gotta listen to our version of the story first… Don't worry; Big Destiny will make it all clear…" his men handed him the rifle, then he ejected the spent magazine and chambered a new one.

The girl gritted her teeth, the idea of standing in front of an armed man was taking away the best of her. Big Destiny noticed this and aimed the gun at her, causing Flanna to gasp and stumble back in fear.

"Humph, Mr. Gibb? That stupid man tried to scare us with this, but you see, that guy didn't know that this baby was actually…" Big-D quickly spun the rifle up and fired at the sky "LOADED! Hahaha…!"

"That dork shot himself by accident…!" the other gang members laughed.

Flanna's heart raced crazily, that guy could have killed her if he had wanted to. "Accident or not!" she gripped her fists "You stole Miss Tea Hanks' stuff and left Mr. Gibb bleeding to death, you are a bunch of jerks!"

"Careful guys!" Big Destiny joked, "The Firefly's got temper!" he aimed the gun back at her "Listen little girl, I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that and I'll forgive you this time, you know why? 'Cause these lands will soon be property of the Destiny Gang!"

He got back inside the car and started the engine; the truck dashed away, spinning wildly in perfect circles a few times before returning towards her. The wheel's screeched as his foot pushed the brakes and his head popped out of the window.

"You know what, Firefly? You're quite intrepid for a little girl, it's a shame you're so young… Big-D kinda likes your attitude, be sure to look for me when you grow up…!" he raised his glasses slightly and winked "We could have some fun together, consider yourself part of Big-D's property now!"

The wheels screeched again, this time to fire the vehicle back into the road.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn and Jake were snoring peacefully under their bed's blankets. It was a cold windy night, very characteristic of the autumn season. The boy frowned as he felt a cold gust blowing on his face, was his bedroom's window open? Impossible, he had made sure to close it before going to bed.

The wooden floor creaked, awaking the golden puppy instantly. Jake jumped out of the bed and began to run around the room in excitement. The blonde boy was hardly awake; usually Jake didn't act like that unless someone stepped into the room, or if the doggy felt like going out to water the old tree.

"Jake…" Finn murmured in his sleep "I'm not taking you to the toilet again…!" the puppy continued to scratch the floor and moan impatiently "Shhh, Jake…! You might wake mom up and I haven't told her about you yet!"

Suddenly, something pocked his arm and whispered "Mertens?"

Finn stretched himself up lazily "Jake, how many times do I have to-…" he flinched, a pair of green eyes were staring at him "AGHH-!" his scream was quickly drown by a hand that covered his mouth frantically.

"Shhh! Finn Mertens, calm down…!" his attacker whispered, "It's me, Flanna…!"

The boy forced her to free him with a bothered grunt and pushed her away "Hacksworth! What are you doing here?! No, wait! How did you get in here?!"

"I climbed that tree…" she replied calmly and then shook her head in annoyance "As if that matters! Finn, I need you to come with me!" Flanna grasped his arm, trying to drag him towards the window.

"No! Why would I do that?!" Finn protested, escaping from her grip again "I'm not going anywhere! Do you have any idea of how late it is?! You're insane!"

"Okay, you win…" Flanna muttered "I'm gonna tell you all I've been through...tonight…"

Thus, the red-haired girl began with her story of how she had found a wounded Mr. Gibb at Tea Hanks' kitchen, and of how she had run across the fields, searching for help only to bump into the vandals who had caused the incident in the first place. Then Flanna told him that she had managed to find a doctor and how she had led her to Mr. Gibb as soon as she could. The girl noticed a hint of disconcertment on Finn's face, so she instantly assured him that the pig breeder was going to be fine.

"After that, I ran all the way back home. I sneaked into my room and grabbed everything I could…" Finn stared at her and realized that she had changed her dirty clothes for a cleaner outfit, she was also wearing a leather backpack on her shoulders "Then I left home and ran all the way back here, that's all. Now let's go!"

"Whoa! Go where? Are you planning to chase those guys? I saw them this afternoon, and I can tell they look strong! W-we should tell the adults!"

"The adults?! You haven't listened to a word I said, have you?!" Flanna replied impatiently "Those guys, the Destiny Gang or whatever they call themselves said that they were going to rule these lands! We gotta find out what their plans are and wreck them!"

Finn gave her a skeptical glance, "Should I believe you? You said that you went all the way back to your home and then returned here, wasn't your house around two hours away from here?"

"I-it is…" the red-haired girl mumbled exhaustedly "I couldn't stay there…my father would surely lock me or kill me if he sees me hanging around there at this hour… I'm in trouble for trying to find you, so now be useful and come with me…!"

She pulled his arm towards the window once again; Finn could feel her hand shivering, probably because of the cold or her own exhaustion. When Flanna was about to reach the window, the boy managed to foresee that she was going to stumble down just in time to stop her fall. He quickly reached for her hand and prevented her from collapsing onto the floor, catching her fatigued body in his arms.

"Y-you are indeed crazy, Hacksworth…!" Finn exclaimed, dragging her to his bed "If what you told me is true, then you must be about to faint in any moment now. You can't go anywhere in that condition!"

"There's no time to waste, Mertens…" Flanna muttered "Those freaks are probably wrecking somebody else's life in this moment."

"Yeah, yeah…I get it!" he replied, laying her down on his bed "But you need to get some rest before even thinking about chasing those dudes. Listen, I'll go to the barn and I'll prepare Cecile so that we can ride her, I'll also look for a lantern and some other stuff… Meanwhile, you'll stay here and sleep a little, okay?"

"So, you're actually going to help me?" The girl questioned as he covered her with his blankets.

"Umm…" Finn wasn't exactly in love with the idea, but after listening to what those guys did to Miss Hanks he felt that he had to kick that Big-D guy's butt "I think so, but… Please tell me, why did you choose to look for my help first?"

"Because, like or not, you're the only one I can trust…"

"Umm…" Finn made some steps backwards and stared at his dog "C'mon Jake, mom and dad will wake up in any moment!"

Flanna curled herself on the bed, feeling the warmth that Finn had left before she yanked him out of his sleep. It was still hard to believe that she was actually asking him for help, and it was even harder to believe that he was going to join her despite all their misunderstandings and fights.

A weak glimmer of gratefulness graced her smile as she buried her face on the pillow, followed by a sudden shudder of embarrassment, striking her young body. The sheets were pervaded with Finn's smell, snuggling in that bed was going to be rough if she didn't find a way to keep him out of her mind.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn adjusted a saddle on Cecile's back and stroke her mane gently. A mule was definitively smaller and easier to ride than a horse, he knew that she was the perfect choice, but he feared that something bad could happen to the baby Bartram inside her.

"Nah…you'll be fine, right Ceci? You're a strong one!"

"Grrr…!" Jake suddenly growled.

The farm boy crouched down, searching for the puppy's head and tapped it gently "What is it buddy? Did you smell something?"

Jake's fur frizzed in anxiousness, his paws driving him towards the chicken coops where he stopped to snarl angrily at a strange shadow. Finn grabbed a rake and followed his dog inside. There he met a pair of glowing eyes, glaring at him.

"W-who are you?!" Finn demanded nervously as he threatened the shadow with his rake "Are you part of the Destiny Gang?!"

"_Destiny….! Fate…! Are our lives written in stone or do we carve the paths we wish to follow…?"_ the shadow hissed as it walked around Finn, letting him notice a bucket filled with eggs in its hands _"You haven't seen me! You haven't seen anything boy…!"_

The shadow pushed him onto the ground. Jake didn't hesitate to chase it down, but Finn's painful groans made him ran back to his side, letting the shadow vanish within the bushes.

"Auw… What the junk's going on here?" Finn muttered as he rubbed his head "Who was that?"

"Bouw…" Jake replied tilting his head.

"Yeah, you're right…" his owner whispered in awe "The real egg thief…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I so happy to hear y'all are enjoying this story! I hope this chapter was as good as the last one, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts!

See you next week!

_**2/06/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	5. Cecile the Mule

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Five: Cecile the Mule **

Mrs. Mertens finished preparing breakfast and served it on the table; it consisted of just three oatmeal bowls, milk and a piece of bread for each of them. Although she would have loved to prepare some scrambled eggs, her husband had arrived this morning with the terrible news of another egg theft at their farm.

The blonde woman sighed, feeling a little discouraged; between that and the incoming winter, they would go bankrupt in just a matter of time. She didn't like the idea, but perhaps if they could sell Cecile, they would earn a good amount of cash. The fact of that mule being pregnant could be a plus, and they needed the money to survive the winter and start a new harvest on spring.

She'd have to discuss it with her son, the sooner he knows, the sooner he'd get over it "Finn…!" his mother called "Breakfast is ready!"

There was no answer from the boy. That was unusual for him. Finn was always awake and ready to do his morning chores, besides, breakfast was his favorite meal of the day.

"Finn…!" the woman repeated as she untied her white apron and tossed it over the table "Don't tell me you're still asleep, boy!"

Mrs. Mertens climbed the stairs carefully, she didn't want to trip and get herself or her baby hurt. Her knuckles tapped on Finn's door softly and then she turned the knob to step inside.

"Finn, son it's getting late…" his mother said as she sat down on his bed "C'mon Finn, get u-…" she pulled the blankets and gasped in concern, the bed was empty.

"Finn?!"

She rushed downstairs and bumped with her husband, who had just visited the barn. Mr. Mertens had also a worried look on his face, there was no sign of the mule anywhere and Finn wasn't there either.

The couple dashed outside, hoping to find the boy playing his flute on some tree's branch or washing Cecile with the laundry's water, as he always did whenever they weren't keeping an eye on him, but Finn was nowhere to be seen.

The newspaper kid –a mischievous brat known as Jamaica Campbell, passed by on his bicycle, hitting Mr. Mertens' face with the morning's paper. The farmer rubbed his nose and proceeded to read the front page.

Miss Tea Hanks' farm was on the cover, with the following headline: "MYSTERIOUS GANG ENDANGERS PIG BREEDER'S LIFE"

"Oh, no!" Mrs. Mertens exclaimed, snatching the paper from her husband's hands "That's Mr. Gibb in the photo…!"

Mr. Mertens observed the picture closely and flinched, his finger pointed the black and white image of a girl in the back of the picture.

"The Hacksworth girl!" his wife replied "Quick, we must go to the school immediately! Perhaps Miss Bonnibel knows something about this!" she pulled Mr. Mertens' arm hurriedly, leaving their breakfast behind.

With a little luck, all the parents were gathered in the classroom, concerning about their children's safety, especially Mr. Hacksworth.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn's mouth drooled as he stared at Flanna with big pleading eyes; she was enjoying a delicious sandwich while he was starving by her side. Jake on the other hand, was too busy digging some snacks from a trashcan to worry about his owner's hunger.

"F-Flanna…" the boy whispered shyly "I need breakfast…!"

The red-haired girl swallowed another piece and stared back at him "Why don't you eat then, huh?" her face quickly returned to her sandwich.

"'C-'cause I didn't bring any food!" Finn yelled in desperation.

Flanna remained silent for a while; she was still focused on her breakfast "Well, that's a shame…" she gave another bite to her sandwich "But it ain't my fault…"

They were sitting on a bench only a few miles away from Junktown's center. They had been following truck tracks the whole night and after the sun rose in the horizon, the small group decided to make a stop so that they could fill their empty guts with something to eat. Jake pushed a trashcan down and dived into it, Cecile began to graze the grass nearby, and Flanna pulled a large tuna sandwich out of her backpack while Finn begged mentally for a single bite.

The blonde boy tried his best to not smack the girl in front of him "It ain't your fault?!" he shouted impatiently "You were the one who broke into my room at 2:00 am and yanked me out of bed! I-I simply forgot about packing some food, you should be grateful 'cause I agreed to join you on this-…!"

A piece of bread had been jammed into his mouth all of a sudden. His blue eyes rolled down, staring at the sandwich beneath his nose and then drifted back onto the Hacksworth girl.

"You can have the half of my sandwich, but only if you stop complaining!"

"_But only if you stop complaining…"_ Finn mimicked under his breath.

Flanna rolled her eyes and pushed him out of the bench. The boy hit the ground with a thud, but managed to save his food and glared back at her.

"The word you should be looking for is 'Thanks', otherwise I'll seriously consider sharing my lunch with you…" she bit her sandwich "Mertens…"

Finn glanced down at the grass, blushing slightly "You...were planning to share your lunch with me…?"

"Yeah, what else?" she had been talking with her mouth full and swallowed "It's the least I can do."

"Yikes Flanna, I was wrong about you…" Finn grinned shyly "You aren't that bad after all…"

The red-haired girl flushed at his comment.

"You're just weird and crazy!"

Flanna clenched her fist and slammed his head in irritation. Mertens' hat fell on the ground while he rolled over it, moaning and rubbing the painful bump she had given him. "I should return the hit, but I won't, 'cause I promised mom and Tea Hanks to be nice with you! … Ow…!"

The girl shook her head in resignation and stuck out her tongue at him with an "Hmmh…!"

"Hmmh…!" the farm boy replied, doing the same gesture.

Cecile's nose twitched slightly; there was an even more delicious scent in the air besides the dried grass that she had been grazing the whole morning. Her hooves tapped the ground silently as she got closer to the source of that smell and pulled it up.

"Yauw! Cecile!" Finn complained, feeling the mule's teeth pulling his blonde hair "How many times do I have to tell you that my hair isn't hay?!"

Flanna tried to repress it, but she ended up bursting in laughter at the scene. The mule was certainly stubborn and her head was too heavy for Finn to push it away. The girl enjoyed Finn's struggle for a while until she decided to help him a little, smacking the mule's back with her palm. Cecile groaned softly and left in search of something else to chew. Meanwhile, Finn rubbed his now sticky hair in disgust, glimpsing a smile on Flanna's face out the corner of his eye.

"So you think I'm funny, huh?"

"Nah, I just think it's funny when you're about to be eaten by a mule!" she chuckled in attempt to tease him.

Finn simply decided to ignore that comment and got up on his feet, Flanna noticed that he was walking away without an apparent reason so she dared to ask.

"Where the flip are you going?"

"Oh well, I was not planning to say it aloud but since you're so curious…" he pointed a hidden spot behind some bushes "I gotta pee."

"Ugh…gross!"

"Whatever, you asked!" Finn shrugged in amusement, he jumped into the bushes and grinned back at her "No peeking, eh?"

Flanna's face blushed "Are stupid or what?! Of course, I won't be peeking! Idiot!" she crossed her arms and turned her face away "What a dork…!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn zipped his pants exhaling a sigh of relief, he wasn't really sure of where he was standing now. The farm boy used to believe that he knew all the forests and meadows around his house by heart, but a mysterious warehouse in the distance had just proved him wrong.

He decided to sneak towards it on his own; perhaps those Destiny Gang guys were hiding in there… Finn rolled under a window and raised his head slowly to peek through it.

"P-please…!" a man cried, pushing himself against a wall "I'll tell you whatever you want…just…just keep that weapon away from me!"

"Whatever we want?" a weirdo dressed in pink murmured, pointing his sword forward "Big Destiny wishes to rule this miserable town!"

"Yeah, rule…!" an eccentric group of people replied in unison. "'Cause Big-D's got the power and the style to do it, yo!"

"T-t-t-t…" the poor man stammered nervously "H-Hacksworth…"

Finn drowned a surprised gasp with his hands, sliding down before anyone could see him.

"Hacksworth?!" this time a guy with a scar on his eye threatened him with his katana "Who's that? And what's up with him, huh?!"

"H-Hacksworth is the owner of the town's co-…colliery, everyone depends on him to survive, especially during winter… Y-you guys control the coal mines and you'll have the whole town eating from the palm of y-your hands…"

The two strange men seemed to hesitate a little; they turned around to face the other side of the warehouse (where Finn was unable to get a good look at whatever or whoever was there) as if they were waiting for a response.

"Hehe…" another voice chuckled in delight "Big-D likes how this Mr. Trupp Blake thinks…"

"D-does that means… that you'll let me go now?" Mr. Trupp asked nervously "P-please… I'm just a humble pastry cook…!"

"Tromo, please explain this fella the ways of the Destiny Gang!"

The guy with the scar on his face drew his golden katana forward and smirked "Big Destiny can't afford to trust anyone who knows our secret plans, therefore, those people must disappear to avoid any possible interventions in the future, hehe…"

"In other words…" the pink guy added "We'll gladly pay you a ticket to the other world!"

Finn knew what was about to happen, Mr. Blake was going to be killed. Someone had to stop those guys! If only there was a way to save him, where are the heroes when you need them?

"No! Please, I beg you!" Trupp Blake cried frantically "Somebody save me, please!"

"Okay Finn…" the boy muttered to himself "You're crapping your pants, you're just a kid and there's no way for someone like you to defeat five tough grown-ups like them…" he gritted his teeth anxiously "But if I don't save him… **No one else will!"**

**x+x+x+x+x**

Flanna stared at the clouds impatiently, wondering what was taking Finn so long. Jake had hopped onto the bench and snuggled on her lap a few minutes after the boy left, so she began to pet him softly while she waited.

Twenty minutes more passed by and Finn hadn't returned; at first Flanna thought that he had ran away because he might be afraid of dealing with the Destiny Gang, but then she remembered how much Finn cared for his puppy and his mule, he wasn't going to abandon them just because, right?

She sighed, glancing down at the small bulldog on her lap "J-Jake?" the dog was snarling and growling; his ears had gone up a little as if he was hearing something "What's wrong? Is it…?" Flanna sprung up in realization "Finn!"

The red-haired girl pulled Cecile's rein to drag her along with Jake into the bushes where Finn had vanished only moments ago. The mysterious warehouse wasn't very far, she could hear shouts and groans getting closer with each step she made.

"Hehe, this will show you not to mess with us…!" Tromo chuckled viciously as he kicked Finn's stomach.

The farm boy was lying on the ground, feeling completely defenseless as four thugs enjoyed themselves, beating him up. His face was covered with bruises as well as his arms and knees. Despite it all, Finn was fighting to get back on his feet; he couldn't let those guys do whatever they wanted with his hometown and its inhabitants. For some unknown reason, the members of the Destiny Gang stopped their aggressiveness towards him all of a sudden and stepped aside, letting his blurry vision catch a glimpse of a taller man, making his way through his followers.

"Y-you're Big Destiny, huh…?" Finn said weakly.

Big-D grinned with pride, "It seems that I'm starting to earn some fame around these neighborhoods…!" he leaned down and grabbed Finn's shirt to pull him up "But why is it that only tiny runts like you dare to face me?"

"Because you're too lame to fight something better!" Flanna Hacksworth lunged over him unexpectedly, delivering a powerful kick on his groin.

"M-MY STUFF!" the orange-haired bully moaned furiously as his hands let go of the semiconscious boy to fall on his knees, covering the damaged area.

Flanna rushed to Finn's side and cradled him in her arms "I never thought you were that stupid, Finn Mertens! Just-… look what they have done to you!"

"F-Flanna…?" the boy mumbled weakly.

"Yeah, who else?" she answered, trying to get him up "C'mon, I gotta get us on Cecile before Big Destiny recovers or-…!"

"Or what, Firefly?" the man known as Tromo interjected as the other members of the gang gathered around him.

Flanna felt how the fear began to conquer her body; there was no escape now, those guys were going to kill them both for sure. All she could do was to cling onto Finn's body as if he could keep her safe and close her eyes.

The Destiny Gang loomed slowly towards them, some of them chuckling evilly while others cracked their knuckles, hoping to smash them against the young duo.

"Don't touch them!" Big Destiny's voice roared, there was nothing but rage reflected on his features "They are mine!"

"I don't think so!"

Finn and Flanna opened their eyes in surprise. Someone was standing up for them; he was a strong looking man with chocolate-colored skin, his face was adorned by a pair of thick eyebrows, a mustache and a pink round nose above it. He was wearing a blue apron, which was covered by flour and white creamy frosting.

"M-Mr…Trupp Blake…" Finn whispered in awe.

"That's right my boy, you risked your life to save mine, and now I must to do the same!" Mr. Blake pulled out the same rifle that Big-D had used to scare Flanna the other night and smirked "Can you believe this fools? They let their gun all sad and lonely in their truck…"

"C-careful dude…!" Trami, the pink-haired guy stammered raising his arms "That thing ain't a toy!"

"Oh, hoho…! I know son," Mr. Trupp chambered the rifle "I know…"

"He's going to fire that thing! Run! Get into the car!" Big Destiny's men cried in fear, getting their butts out of the scene.

Big Destiny stepped back, gritting his teeth in a weak attempt to contain his anger. His back bumped against Cecile, who was grazing peacefully around them "Very well…!" Big-D admitted, "You win this time; Mr. Cupcake, Hero boy, Firefly… But let me tell you this…" his hands grasped the mule's reins "Big Destiny never leaves with empty hands!"

"D-Don't…!" Finn yelled in a weak manner.

Big-D jumped over Cecile's back and kicked her sides "This ain't over yet, the Destiny Gang will rule this pathetic town! Just wait and see! Hyah!" The mule brayed in pain and trotted away.

"Ce-cecile…" the boy murmured, stretching his arm towards the vanishing figure that was galloping in the distance "Bartram…"

"I'm sorry Finn…" Flanna whispered, pulling him closer "I shouldn't have dragged you into this…"

"Bouw…" Jake moaned sadly as he sat by they their side.

* * *

_**2/06/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	6. Junktown's Dream team

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Six: Junktown's Dream team **

Mr. Blake helped Flanna to carry Finn into the warehouse. Stormy clouds were gathering in the skies, so it was better for them to take shelter there and wait until the rain ceased. The depot wasn't a comfortable place to stay at all; except for some wooden crates filled with unknown contents, there wasn't anything for them to use as a seat.

The red-haired girl was still being protective over the wounded boy in her arms; she sat on the floor, resting her back against a wall and laid Finn's head on her lap. When Jake finished sniffing each spot in the warehouse out of instinct, he hurried his small paws towards his human buddy and hopped over the boy to curl up on his stomach.

Trupp remained on his feet for a while; perhaps he was still trying to digest everything he had been through that morning, or maybe he was thinking what to do about Finn and Flanna. The cook sighed and decided to check on Finn's injuries "I'm not a doctor…" he whispered, giving a sad glance to the girl "I should go look for your parents, they'll know what to do."

"P-parents?!" Flanna gasped. With the Destiny Gang wandering around, and because of her previous reckless actions, she was sure that her father was going to lock her up for a lifetime.

"Yes, parents." Mr. Blake replied sternly "Those guys from later… they are the kind of people who never forgive or forget." He fixed his eyes on her "And you made 'em mad, you can't expect me to let you go as if nothing had happened. It's way too dangerous!"

Flanna lowered her gaze in disappointment.

"Well, now I need you to tell me your names so I can find your parents, okay?" Trupp Blake said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You should look for Miss Bonnibel at School…" she whispered softly "I bet she's got every adult in town gathered there…"

Mr. Blake nodded "Got it. I'm gonna leave now, you should be safe here as long as you keep the doors and the windows locked. Do not go out until I return, is that clear?"

"Umm…" Flanna glanced back at him anxiously, "Could you let the windows open, please? I'm afraid of closed spaces, you know, claustrophobic..."

The cook raised an eyebrow skeptically "You should be more afraid of losing your life!"

"Please…!" Hacksworth insisted, "You don't know how it feels!"

"All right, all right!" Mr. Blake pushed a high window open "But only one. Now be good and stay here in silence until I come back with your parents, okay?"

With that said, Trupp closed the doors behind him and left towards the school. As soon as he disappeared in the distance, a few raindrops began to tap the rooftop. Two minutes later, the clouds were pouring down everything they had over the old warehouse. Some leaked drops fell onto Finn's face, causing him to wince briefly and open his eyes. Waking back to reality brought the pain of his injuries with it as well as the fear of dying at the hands of the Destiny Gang.

"Ah!" the boy gasped in fear all of a sudden, he hadn't realized where he was.

"Calm down Finn, it's okay…" Flanna's voice was quiet, but he could still hear it clearly "We are safe now."

It was then when he realized that he was lying on her lap and that Jake was snoring softly over him. His blue eyes drifted aimlessly, trying to figure where they were "W-what…? Happened to Mr. Blake? Where's Big Destiny and… where's Cecile?"

Flanna stared down at him with grief "That jerk took her away, remember?"

Finn closed his eyes and gritted his teeth "Yeah, I remember now…" he replied bitterly.

"I'm just-…" the girl sighed, "You're in your right to punch me all that you want… It's because of me that your mule is gone and your body's all jacked up. Mr. Blake is on his way to the school… Everything will be over soon…"

"What do you mean…over?" Finn questioned worriedly.

"Mr. Blake is going to warn the other adults, they are going to take you home and see that you're okay…"

His eyes widened "W-what about you?! Y-your father… He's the Destiny Gang's next target…! W-we gotta do something to stop them, maybe we could even rescue Cecile!" Finn exclaimed, pushing himself forward.

Flanna forced him down impatiently "Are you even paying attention?! I said it's over!" she turned her face away "Now try to rest or something, you're hurt Finn!"

The blonde boy obeyed in a reluctant way and tried to relax a little. It was hard for him to believe that someone as stubborn as Flanna was giving up so easily. Even after telling her that her father was in danger, she didn't seem to react. Perhaps she was right, everything was over now. His parents would break through the warehouse's doors in any moment and they'd take him away, allowing Big Destiny to wreak havoc throughout the land. Flanna's silent sobs confirmed that something similar was going to happen to her as well, maybe even worse. Who knows what could happen if Big Destiny figured that she's Mr. Hacksworth's daughter…

"Flanna…" Finn whispered as he grew tired of the silence "I think we can do this…"

"Do what?" the girl replied dryly.

"Mess Big Destiny's plan…! Just listen to me, okay? We both know those guys are bigger and stronger, but they are just a bunch of idiots…!"

"So, what?"

His brow furrowed "Flanna, we're both smarter than them! All we need is a good plan, please, I know we can stop them if we try…!"

"I really doubt about it…"

Finn felt discouraged once again, for some reason he was hoping that Flanna would change her mind, but no. Everything was useless. He was about to raise his sight towards her face with the intention of reproaching her what a scaredy-cat she was, when something on her features caused him to keep his mouth shut. Flanna was staring at him with a mischievous grin.

"I really doubt _you _are smarter than anyone." She stated confidently "But since you're so eager to get your butt kicked again, then… Let's roll!"

"All right!" Finn exclaimed enthusiastically, not paying attention the offensive comment that she just made.

A thunder roared practically over them, startling both kids to death. They screamed, embracing each other and of course, pushed themselves away almost immediately, making silly gestures of disgust.

"We…we'd better wait until the storm diminishes a little…" the boy stammered nervously, receiving a nod from the girl in response "Then we'll escape through the open window and look for the Destiny Gang!"

"Yeah, about that…" Flanna murmured in concern "How are we supposed to come up with 'the super awesome plan' that you mentioned earlier?"

"Uh… well, first we have to figure what's their plan, then we'll come up with ours!" Finn answered, sitting next to her while he held the golden puppy in his arms.

The red-haired girl rolled her eyes "I don't even know why I'm relying that much on you."

"'Cause maybe deep inside, you believe in me; and you think I'm cool, and strong, and awesome, and that's why you were so worried about me a while ago." Finn replied in an overconfident tone as he grinned goofily at her.

"In case you were wondering, I haven't improved your ugly face just because you're so beaten up, that I feel pity for you!" Flanna crossed her arms and looked away angrily "And I wasn't worried about you."

"Yes, you were." Finn chuckled.

"No, I wasn't." she retorted.

"I'm telling you yes, I saw your face!"

"No way, you're lying!"

"You did!"

"I didn't!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Finn shook his head in resignation and grabbed her shoulders "Listen, if we're going to make this work, we'll need to start being more honest and try to get along with each other no matter how disgusting or annoying you are–"

"Excuse me?!" Flanna glared at him.

"Ugh… We! We think we are!" the boy quickly corrected "Now let's try something while we wait for the storm to cease, okay?"

Flanna turned away.

"Hey! C'mon, don't do it for me. Do it for the town and for your father!" Finn insisted. Flanna faced him again and nodded reluctantly "Okay, now I'm gonna admit something nice about you and you gotta do the same for me!"

"Mmmm…" Hacksworth muttered with an uncertain look "Fine, let's do it your way…"

Finn smiled, letting go of her shoulders and began to rub his chin thoughtfully. As the seconds passed, he started to regret suggesting that "friendship exercise". His cheeks blushed, the boy knew what he wanted to say, but the idea of doing so turned out to be quite awkward.

"Woof!" Jake barked, pushing Finn's arm with his small head as if he was encouraging him to speak.

"Okay…" Finn sighed "Flanna I… I-I think your hair is really nice and I like it a lot…!" he spoke with a tremendous amount of speed and then hid face on Jake's fur.

"M-my… my hair?" Flanna mumbled, feeling stunned "But you're always pulling it in class, and it hurts a lot, you know?!" she protested, pulling his hair to force him to stop hiding behind Jake and look at her.

"Auw! Auw! I know! I'm sorry!" the farm boy apologized as he tried to smack her hand away "You'd have never let me touch it if I ever dared to ask, would you?!"

"Why would I–?! You're really creeping me out right now!" Flanna backed away a little "You always said that bulls were going chase me because of my hair! And what about that one day when you threw a bucket of cold water over me, saying that my head was on fire and I had to stay in bed for a week, 'cause I caught a terrible fever?!"

"I know I was a jerk!" Finn yelled back "Why do you think I let you almost-drown-me in the pond! And –don't you remember when I didn't defend myself so that you could punch me in the gut? You struck me so hard, that Miss Bonnibel thought I was dead!" he got up "I knew I deserved it!"

"Well you–…!" Flanna blushed slightly "You were never nice to me, I thought you hated me!"

"I thought you hated me as well!" the boy replied sharply.

"Then that means we can be friends now?!" Flanna demanded in irritation.

"Yes, dang it! That's all I've ever wanted!" Finn admitted vehemently.

"Bark! Bark!" the puppy yapped, running in circles around their feet. Jake couldn't understand what was going on, he was just showing how confusing the situation was.

The red-haired girl glanced at the floor, trying to hide her embarrassment "You…you mean it?" she was having a hard time repressing her excitement "You want to be my friend?"

"Yeah…" Finn flushed slightly, making eye contact with her "Why not...?"

Flanna stared at him in silence; she didn't know how to react or what to do to break the awkwardness of the moment. Her green eyes spotted the only open window in the warehouse, helping her to remember that they needed to escape before Mr. Blake and their parents arrived.

"We gotta make a pact." She announced suddenly.

"A pact? What kind of pact?" Finn asked in confusion as he sat down with her.

"Finn Mertens, if you want to be my friend and aid me on my quest to stop the Destiny Gang, you gotta swear that you'll never, ever insult me and/or hurt me physically again!"

"I agree." He nodded "And you gotta stop being so aggressive and inexpressive around me all the time!"

"I agree with that." Flanna scratched her head "I think we should allow the use of mocking names… it's fun." She shrugged.

"Whatever you say Dirtynose." Finn chuckled "And I also think that we gotta be honest with each other at all times, no more secrets."

"That's fine with me Buttface. Umm… Don't ever call me Hacksworth again, it makes me feel like my father…"

"Then you'll stop calling me Mertens as well." Finn spat on his hand and stretched it towards Flanna "The pact will also force us to help each other with whatever we might need, even if that means getting hurt for the other's sake!"

"Awesome, but I'm not going to shake hands with you." Flanna said as she retrieved her hand "I don't wanna spit on my hand and then mix my saliva with yours," she stuck out her tongue in disgust "That would be like an indirect mouth-to-mouth-kiss, eww…"

Finn shuddered in disgust and quickly cleaned his hand on his pants "You're right, but we gotta seal the pact to make it official…" he explained anxiously "The rule is either saliva or blood."

"Do you have a knife with you?" the red-haired girl inquired with malice.

"No! I don't wanna hurt myself again!"

"Bouw…!" Jake moaned, staring at them. He sat between them and then licked his face before he started to pant happily.

"Umm… Let's use Jake's saliva then!" Flanna suggested enthusiastically "It'd be like if he just kissed himself!"

Finn smiled in delight "That's what I call quick thinking!"

Thus, Mertens and Hacksworth let Jake lick their hands so that they could shake them and seal their pact, both hoping to be able to establish a friendly relationship between each other and that it would let them wreck Big Destiny's plans somehow. Now, as their first teamwork move, they had to find a way of reaching the open window without killing each other in the process. The two kids stacked all the large crates that they could find in there, and then Finn volunteered to hold Flanna's feet as she tried to reach said window.

"Push me a little higher, will ya?!" the girl demanded, stretching herself up.

"I'm…trying to…!" Finn replied, gritting his teeth "It would be easier if you weren't so heavy…!"

"Are you implying that I'm fat or something?!"

"Uh…no, not fat… A little chubby, yes…"

Flanna stomped his head angrily.

"Hey! What about the pact?!" the farm boy complained "Unlike you, I am respecting it! We were going to be completely honest to each other, remember?!"

"Yeah, but I'm not fat!"

"I said chubby! Not fat!"

"Woof!"

* * *

_**2/07/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	7. Mr Hacksworth's Coal Mine

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Seven: Mr. Hacksworth's Coal Mine **

Miss Bonnibel ran into the classroom, carrying an ice bag in her hands. The sound of her heels hitting the wooden floor announced her arrival, causing a very altered Mr. Mertens to fix his eyes on her and snatch the ice bag with promptitude. His wife was lying unconscious on his lap, after Mr. Trupp Blake and other adults returned from the warehouse with anxious faces and racing hearts, the poor woman fainted upon hearing that her son had disappeared once again.

"It's all my fault…" the pastry cook sighed as he buried his face into his hands "I shouldn't have left them alone… I shouldn't have opened that window…"

The troubled school teacher wasn't sure of what to do next. Bonnibel had already forced a multitude of worried parents out of the classroom, claiming that if they stayed with their children nothing wrong was going to happen to them. She had also assured them that she was still going impart classes, but with the collaboration of certain restrictions and some strict security measures.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mertens…" Bonnibel whispered "If you like to, you can bring your wife into my house so that she gets to rest on a bed. I would gladly welcome you and I'd also prepare some coffee in case you need it."

A faint smile and a soft nod from the farmer gave some relief to her agitated heart. Bonnibel helped him to get Mrs. Mertens up of the floor while she turned her head to glance at a fancy-dressed man, who was leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

"Mr. Hacksworth," the teacher called "You are also welcomed to join us, sometimes is good to have some company during hard times like these."

The russet-haired man furrowed his brow as he strode away from the wall "I have all the company I need in my own house, thank you." Mr. Hacksworth walked through the door and stared back at her before leaving "Don't hesitate to call me if you receive any news concerning to my daughter's whereabouts."

"Mr. Hacksworth…!" Miss Bonnibel gasped before he could close the door "You won't be safe in there…"

"My only daughter has gone missing while a relentless gang wrecks havoc all over our valley, I couldn't certainly care less about my own safety!" the sturdy man stepped outside and slammed the door.

"That man is nuts…!"

"M-Mr. Mertens?!" Bonnibel yelped towards the farmer behind her in surprise, he simply grinned nervously and shrugged, still holding his unconscious wife in his arms.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Flanna's father crossed the porch of his mansion, he then took off his coat, and tossed it carelessly onto the living room's couch. The rain was still falling outside and he was shivering from cold, but the light and warmth of the flames before him managed to disperse the dampness in his clothes as soon as he got close to the chimney. Mr. Hacksworth combed his wet hair away of his forehead as he leaned on the fireplace's frame and stared tiredly at the framed photos placed over it; his little girl, his deceased wife, and a picture of his younger self… all those images were reflected on his green irises while fought to remember how to pray.

"Never mind…" he sighed, reaching out for a bottle of whisky.

The golden liquid filled his glass as the melancholic man reflected on his now failed promise. Flanna should have stayed in home where he knew she would be safe. He had promised to protect her from any harm, but still, she had inherited his stubbornness and keeping that girl locked wasn't an easy task to carry out.

Mr. Hacksworth grabbed a new glass and served the liquid on both containers "I knew that you would come, however, I was expecting your arrival in another few more hours…" he took the two glasses and then turned his body around with a slow manner "What do you seek from me?" the red-haired man inquired, offering the alcoholic drink to the man before him.

"Whoa! Hey! You are giving me whisky for free? Big Destiny already likes you, man!"

"It's called courtesy. Something that you, savages, obviously lack."

"Did you hear that Tromo?" Big Destiny chuckled "He just called us bad-mannered savages, hehe!"

"Hehe, yeah!" his black-haired companion replied "This guy's got class…!"

"Listen big dude! The Destiny Gang is got a great deal for you!" their leader announced after chugging the drink and breaking the glass against the floor "We'll take all your precious coal, and then you'll be able to leave this town with your nice clothing on! How does that sound? You've got a good business here!"

"What if I refuse to accept your terms?" Mr. Hacksworth challenged sternly.

It seemed that those flamboyant guys didn't know anything about his daughter. Hopefully Flanna and the Mertens kid were just chasing each other somewhere in the farming fields. The villagers should have already begun a search, and if he kept the infamous Destiny Gang distracted, someone might find the kids before dusk and keep them safe.

A vicious grin was curved on Big Destiny's lips "Then we'll have to take it by force…"

"So be it then." Mr. Hacksworth said, he raised his glass and chugged the liquor as Big Destiny's men loomed over him.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn collapsed exhaustedly on the grass, leaning his back against a tombstone. Junktown's graveyard was now the young trio's third rest stop on their way to Flanna's home. The red-haired girl reached his side just a few seconds later and glared at him anxiously, folding her arms. Finn seemed pretty flimsy for a hardworking farm boy; it only took some cold raindrops and a slippery muddy trail to make him cry for a some rest.

"C'mon Finn, I do this walk everyday!" she protested, trying to pull him up.

"Ugh…right, but I bet you never did it after being beaten up…" Finn mumbled.

"Sure I have! Beaten up by you…!" Flanna replied in frustration "C'mon, you said that those freaks were going after my father. We gotta hurry!" she let go of his arms and began to walk around him in circles with Jake –who probably thought that the girl was playing some sort of game, chasing her untied shoelaces to nibble them. "We made a pact, you outta respect the pact!"

Her sudden anxiousness combined with the stressed look on her face caused him to giggle in amusement "Right, you're right." the blonde boy got back on his feet and pointed the way forward "Let's go kick Big-D's butt…!"

"Finally…" Flanna sighed, sprinting behind Finn.

The boy, the girl and the dog ran under the rain, avoiding iron crosses, gravestones and winged statues so that they wouldn't trip over them and fall onto their faces. Of course, tombstones and crosses were easy to spot amidst the heavy rain, but an open grave was surely something that Finn hadn't expected. Unfortunately, said obstacle was waiting for him just ahead. His feet suddenly lost the firmness of the ground beneath them and the gravity did the rest of the job. Before Flanna's eyes —in a moment Finn was in front of her and in the other he wasn't.

"Ow…!" his painful groan reached her ears almost immediately.

"I believe that's not the right way to teach Jake how to play dead." The red-haired girl giggled as she peeked inside the large hole.

"Ha…ha…ha… Very funny, Flanna…" the farm boy replied, still lying on the mud "Very funny…"

"Yeah, I know." The girl crouched down and stretched her arm towards him "I'll help you get out of there."

"Geez, thanks." Finn grabbed hand and began to climb up, his bare feet struggling to avoid sliding down because of the mud.

"You don't have to thank me." Flanna said as she pulled him out "We have a pact remember? Without it we–…"

The slippery ground beneath Finn's feet gave up to his weight and he instinctively tightened his grip on Flanna, dragging her along with him into the empty grave as the two screamed in surprise.

_"Dang it! Who's there?!"_ a grumpy voice growled in the distance _"You'd better not be those eccentric hooligans again, this time I'm carrying my shovel!"_

Finn and Flanna struggled to get off from on top of each other while Jake barked frantically at the stranger that was walking towards them. The light of a lantern glowed in their eyes and an old man's face with a long, thick brown mustache popped above the open grave.

"What the–?!" the man muttered "Not again! This isn't some make-out spot; get out of my grave you… 'puberts!'"

"What?! Yewwack, NO!" Flanna complained, pushing the boy away from her "We fell in your stupid hole by accident!"

"Ugh…yeah!" Finn added, still feeling a little dizzy because of his second fall "Get us out of here! … Uh…Please!"

"Accident? Why didn't you say that earlier? This kind of accidents happen all the time… Perhaps ol' Archie should put some signs near the open graves, hehe…!"

"Well, that'd be useful…yes..." Mertens sighed while he shook his head.

**x+x+x+x+x**

"Here's some hot cocoa…" Archie said, handing a pair of smoky mugs to the kids "Now tell me what are a pair of youngsters like you doing outside with this crazy weather? It's raining cats and dogs out there!"

"We are just trying to…umm…" Flanna decided not tell him the truth, it was possible that the gravedigger called their parents if she did "My brother and I are just trying to get back home."

"Brother?!" Finn gasped in astonishment, receiving a strike from her elbow on his ribs "I mean…well…uh…"

"We live near the Hacksworths' colliery…" the red-haired girl continued "Its close, we'll get there like in twenty minutes, so you don't have to worry about us."

"Worry? Of course I'd worry!" Archie exclaimed, "The Hacksworths' colliery has been taken by those creepy guys, the Destiny Gang!"

"What?! When did that happen?!" the two kids asked, springing up from their seats.

"Three hours ago the colliery workers heard a wild struggle inside Mr. Hacksworth's house. They said that those hooligans managed to take him down after a tough battle, then those creeps tied him somewhere, and now they are forcing the workers to extract all the coal out of his mines!"

"Math, we were too late!" Finn grunted angrily "There's no time to lose, Flanna we have to go!"

"Sure!" the girl replied with determination, following him out.

"W-wait kids!" the gravedigger shouted "Where are you going?! Get back here! It's dangerous!" Archie leaned on his hut's door frame and panted, "Darn it… I'm getting too old for this…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Flanna rushed through her house's porch, feeling a growing spark of fear inside her. Everything she had ever treasured had been destroyed; the furniture, the windows, her mother's ornaments… Even the framed pictures of her family had been smashed against the floor. Finn wanted to say something, perhaps he could find a way to comfort her, but she didn't give him a chance. The Hacksworth girl dragged him outside and led him to the entrance of her father's colliery.

"Those guys must be hanging out somewhere in here…" she whispered, there was anger in her voice.

"Then we have to get in there and show them not to mess with our stuff!" Finn said as he walked towards the mine with the golden puppy trotting beside him "C'mon Flanna…!" there was no response from the girl "Flanna?"

"Wait, I can't go…in there…" Flanna gulped nervously, her body starting to shiver "It's a long way down into the darkness…the paths are narrow and there's only one entrance…only one exit…"

"I don't get it, what's the problem with that?" Finn asked, running back to her side.

The red-haired girl shook her head, she felt like choking and she wasn't even inside yet "Remember when you locked me inside the school's basement and Miss Bonnibel had to run into the town, searching for a doctor?"

"Yeah, you fainted in there…" Finn answered, scratching the back of his head "Though, I never understood why…"

"Those kind of places frighten me…" Flanna murmured in embarrassment "I have always felt terrified inside enclosed spaces…"

"Bouw…" Jake moaned tilting his head.

"Don't worry." Finn grabbed her hand softly and smiled, hoping to give her some confidence "I don't really get why that scares you so much, but I promise that you won't have to go through this alone. We have a pact, remember? I won't leave your side."

Flanna stared at him wide-eyed, feeling an effervescent heat flushing across her cheeks "You mean it?"

"Umm…yeah, we are friends now…" the blonde boy walked her to the entrance "We'll save Cecile and your father, together…"

* * *

_**2/07/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	8. Bartram

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Eight: Bartram**

Finn, Flanna and Jake had been inside the dark tunnels for more than two hours now. On their way, they spotted several lit lanterns hanging on the wall. Fighting the temptation of grabbing one of them was surely a hard task for the red-haired girl, Finn had warned her that their light was just going to make themselves visible and easy to spot, so she kept turning away from their comforting glow despite how much she needed it.

Sometimes Flanna's grip on the boy's hand would tighten because of the faint noises that echoed in the distance. It was hard to tell if those sounds were voices and creeping guffaws awaiting for them in the depths of the dug earth, or if they were just the beats of their frightened hearts, bumping against their chests. The silence that engulfed the small group was certainly going to be intolerable if it was going to let them perceive each unnerving noise that bounced unexpectedly on the rocky walls of the mine.

How could they be certain that everything was going to be fine? They were just a pair of twelve-year-old kids and a bulldog puppy against five tough men, what told them that they had chance to succeed this time? Was it bravery or just the reckless confidence of youth what kept their feet advancing forward?

Jake made a sudden stop; something had caught his attention. His small round ears went up as they caught various squeaking noises coming out from behind him. A rat popped out of nowhere, her tiny paws carried her furry body from one side to the other swiftly until she stopped to scratch her ears and raise her head to sniff the air around her cautiously. The sight of that poor filthy creature somehow managed to alter Jake's usual behavior. He instantly adopted an offensive stance and began to snarl furiously at the rat.

"Squeak…!" the rodent leaped away by instinct as the angry dog jumped over her.

"Woof! Woof!"

Jake's enraged barks echoed throughout the tunnel, scaring the heck out of Finn and Flanna. The two kids whipped around anxiously, pessimist thoughts flashing across their minds.

"Squeak…!" the rat's squeal helped the farm boy understand what was going on.

He turned back to Flanna, not knowing if what he had discovered was good or if it would just worsen their current situation "Jake must be chasing a rat or something! C'mon, let's catch him before his barks attract the Destiny Gang!"

"Of course! You had to bring a dog to a life or death mission, didn't you?!" the red-haired girl growled angrily for the first time in a while.

"Jake it's not a dog, he's my friend!" Finn replied while he tried to catch up with the golden puppy.

"Yeah, but he's going to get us both killed…!"

The rat ran around a corner, entering a different tunnel and so did Jake, Finn, and Flanna. Her tiny glittering eyes spotted a small opening within the iron layer of a mining wagon, the rat gave one last glance behind her and when she saw the snarling dog coming towards her, she squeezed her thick butt into the hole and disappeared.

"Bark! Bark!"

Jake's yapping guided the two kids into an even narrower path, the coldness of the mine's rail-tracks were suddenly palpable beneath the boy's bare feet. He mentally warned himself to avoid tripping with them. Flanna followed him close behind and noticed the rails as well, however, she was so focused on chasing Finn down, that she wasn't able to spot a warning sign on the wall. The route they had taken was under construction.

"Grrr..! huh?" the golden puppy realized that he had lost the rat. Worse than that; he was running out of road. As Jake got closer and closer to the lonely mining wagon in front of him, he tried his best to reduce his speed, but he was too late.

Finn and Flanna went around the corner to witness in horror how Jake jostled against the wagon and pushed it down the railroad. The iron cart's wheels rolled, gaining speed with each passing second until its newly acquired momentum derailed it and caused it to crash into the girders, which were supporting the structure over them. The walls, the ceiling, and pretty much everything around them began to crumble. Fear took the best of the small team, Finn and Flanna searched desperately for a way out of the tunnel but as they approached their possible exit, rocks and iron debris collapsed on it, blocking their path.

"Bouw…" Jake shook his hurt head; his body balanced itself from side to side due to his dizziness. His senses weren't still sharpened enough for him to notice that the ceiling was about to crush him.

"Jake! Watch out!" Finn screamed, alerting Flanna as well. He ran towards his four-legged friend and covered him with his body. "I will protect you, buddy!"

"Finn get up!" the red-haired girl shrieked in fear, the tunnel was falling over him, but Finn was too confused and altered to react.

Flanna clenched her eyes in an attempt to summon all the recklessness that her father hated so much, and found the courage to plunge against Finn and roll with him away from the dusty rain of rocks and twisted steel that had threatened to bury them alive. When the girl opened her eyes, she found herself covered with coal and dirt. The world around her seemed to be spinning crazily as she tried to get back on her feet. Scrapped knees and bleeding elbows indicated with their stinging pain that she was still alive, but what about Finn?

Flanna turned her head in every possible direction until her green eyes finally spotted the cyan of the boy's shirt hidden beneath some crumbled rocks "Finn!" her concerned voice echoed in the silence as she stumbled to his side "Finn! Are you okay? C'mon, get up!"

"Ugh… Flanna…" she heard him whisper weakly while he rose slowly "I can't feel my arm Flanna… Oh dang! My arm's gone!" Finn yelled, waving the empty sleeve where his limb was supposed to be.

"WHAT?! NO, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! FINN-…what the?!"

The blonde boy leaned back, bursting in laughter as his missing arm popped out of his sleeve. Flanna felt her lips and her eyelids twitch nervously while she stared at him with an explosive combination of feelings such as relief, anger, confusion and frustration, that no twelve-year-old was able to control.

"You should've seen the look in your face!" Finn laughed, holding his stomach; the golden puppy wagged his tail in joy while he sat next to him.

"You IDIOT!" Flanna leaped over him like she had done just a few seconds ago, but this time instead of trying to save his life, she was determined to kill him. "Do you think that was even funny?!" The two struggled on top of each other; the girl trying to reach his neck and strangle the boy, while this one fought to keep her hands away from him "I was worried about you, jerk!"

"You were what?" Finn lowered his guard, dazed by the sincerity in her words. However, doing so cost him a hurtful blow that Flanna's fist delivered on his cheek without regret. "Auch…!"

"That's what you get for being a dork!" the Hacksworth girl replied, backing away from him. The terms and conditions of their pact were now in the garbage.

"Umm…okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Finn admitted as he wiped away the blood on his face "I kinda messed you up a little with that joke… Now that I think about it, that prank isn't even a funny one… I-I don't know what's wrong with me, maybe that's what I do when I feel nervous…"

"Humph! You know what I do when I feel nervous?! I smash people's teeth out of their mouths!" Flanna stated, still feeling offended and most of all, scared.

The farm boy glanced at her shyly and spat a tooth out of his mouth with a goofy grin "Well look at that, you ain't lying, are you?" He rubbed his aching cheek while giving her a wide smile, which showed off some of his already missing teeth and the newest gap between them "At this rate, I'm gonna look handsomer than my dad when he was my age, don't you think?"

Flanna glanced down, chuckling faintly at his joke "Sorry, I don't really do that… but for some reason you always make me react in a fiery, volatile way…"

"No probs, you're right. I was a jerk, I should have remembered that this place frightens you…" he got back on his feet and stretched his hand towards her "I promise that it won't happen again."

The red-haired girl shook hands with him in agreement, "Okay, but don't you dare forget–…!"

"Woof!" A sudden bark from Jake cut her words off. The puppy sniffed the ground and stared at them with an intrigued expression.

"What's wrong buddy?" the farm boy inquired, "Did you smell something?"

"Woof!" the dog replied eagerly and trotted towards the only open path before them.

"Let's follow him, maybe he found an exit!" Finn exclaimed, encouraging Flanna once again.

After twenty minutes of walking, their eyes recognized the warm glow of a torch within the darkness. Finn felt Flanna's hand reaching out for his once more as they approached the light. She was right in feeling scared, for what he knew; the Destiny Gang could be waiting for them just around the corner. He chuckled quietly. How wouldn't they do it after all the noise that Jake had provoked by collapsing one of the tunnels accidentally?

"Listen…" Finn whispered as he stopped his pace "I'm gonna check out what's behind the wall, if those math-heads are there well…"

"I hope they are not in there, 'cause we can't run in any other direction that isn't the road forward…" she replied with an odd look of resignation in her eyes.

The farm boy motioned a nod and gulped in fear "Okay…here I go…"

He let go of Flanna's hand and walked away. The red-haired girl craved for his firm grip on her hand shortly after Finn left, feeling that an eternity had passed her by while she waited for any signal that could announce the boy's presence, still wandering somewhere in there.

"Finn…" Flanna murmured, "Are those freaks in there?"

The response that she was waiting for never came, instead, she felt the desired touch of a hand gripping hers softly and pulling her towards the lighted room. It was Finn, guiding her forward, a peaceful glance in his blue eyes.

"Watch your step…" the boy instructed silently "This is like some kind of stable, I found some horses here so there might be smelly surprises on the ground."

Flanna gave a better look to her surroundings, Finn was right it was a stable. In fact it was her father's Pit Pony Stable, sweet memories of her dad letting her ride on the small horses before they were taken inside the mine crossed her mind. The workers used the ponies to haul heavy wagons filled with coal through the tunnels, so it wasn't surprising for the girl to see that happening very often.

"Finn…" she said with excitement "If these are the stables, then that means…"

"Yeah…" Finn smiled gently as he pulled her along some piles of hay "Cecile is here…and also…"

They reached a small compartment where the grayish mule was lying serenely over some cozy-looking bunch of hay. Cecile turned her head towards them and waved it up and down as if she were welcoming them inside. Flanna followed Finn carefully as he crouched down next to his mule and asked her to do the same; a brown calf slid out from behind Cecile and brayed at the red-haired girl with curiosity.

"T-The…the baby?!" Flanna inquired, not being able to believe her eyes.

"Well, technically is not a baby…" Finn giggled, "It's a calf."

"Oh…please excuse my ignorance, Mr. Farmer…!" she replied in amusement "Have you thought in a name for him yet?"

"Sure! Bartram, hehe…!"

Flanna felt a bit of admiration towards Finn in that moment, he seemed to care a lot for his farm's livestock and especially for those mules "May I…?" she asked, reaching out to pet Bartram's head.

"O-of course! Go ahead!" Finn moved his body aside and scooped the calf up so that she could cradle him in her arms "I didn't know you liked animals." He said, watching her stroke Bartram's mane.

"Heh… Of course I do," she raised her sight and stared at one of the ponies "I used to ride these small guys when I was a little girl." Flanna glanced back at Finn and blushed a little, realizing that he had been staring at her the whole time, a sweet smile gracing his features "W-what is it?"

"Huh?" the boy flinched slightly, oblivious of why he had found Flanna's face prettier than usual "Did I... say something bad?"

"_You see? I told you that something weird was going on in here! Tunnels don't collapse just by themselves!"_

Finn and Flanna snapped out of their trance as soon as those voices reached their ears "the Destiny Gang!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hi, I just wanted to take some time to thank everyone reading this fic. Your support really means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy the rest of it :)

_**2/07/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.**_


	9. Miss Bonnibel

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Nine: Miss Bonnibel**

The young woman sat in front of her dressing table, wearing her pink nightgown. She was staring at her tired reflection in the mirror as she combed her hair, ready to set it with her pink rollers. Keeping those perfect curls of hers was a demanding task, but every woman knows that vanity comes with a little nuisance as a price. Time flowed slowly as the school teacher worked on her hair, her reflection being a constant remainder of the anguishing day that had just passed her by. Some hours ago Miss Bonnibel was standing at her door frame, waving good-bye to the Mertens. She had borrowed a cart and a horse from her neighbors so that the worried couple could travel comfortably and safely towards their home. There was still no sign of Finn or Flanna.

Bonnibel placed her brush on the table. She had finished her work on her hair, but still, her eyes wouldn't drift away from the mirror. Some pictures of her parents and her old city friends were attached to its frame. She sighed. Though, she loved her life in the country, sometimes Miss Bonnibel missed those long gone days at the city. It was just that oddly pleasing feeling of nostalgia striking her again. Sadly, she wasn't allowed to dwell within her memories anymore. A constant and hurried knock on her door —an almost desperate one, forced her to snap out of her longings and abandon her seat. Her hands reached out for her housecoat with haste. She could only wonder what was wrong with the freak standing at her door. Didn't people know that it was too late for lending sugar at that time of the night?

"Goodnight, how may I…" Bonnibel's words, and pretty much her entire being froze. The image before for her could only be a product of her worst nightmares.

Flanna Hacksworth's eyes were clouded with tears. Her skin was covered with bruises and cuts, and her clothes were stained with the black of coal and the red of…well, she didn't even want to guess what it was. But reality as it was couldn't be denied, or so that was what her physics books preached. The truth was —although Bonnibel hated to reckon it— that her student's clothes were soaked in blood. Her brain wasn't able to process how such a young girl could lose so much blood and still be capable of reaching her house. Even standing on her feet should have been impossible for Flanna. It was in that moment that the teacher's irises glimpsed something that she had been ignoring until now, probably because of her shock. Lying unconscious on Flanna's back, was the battered body of Finn Mertens.

"F-Flanna what…what have you done?!" Bonnibel had to scold herself for guessing so prematurely the cause of the boy's condition. Years of receiving either an injured Finn or a wounded Flanna at her door, had made her used to the idea that the two kids' injuries were always an aftermath of their constant fighting. However, Miss Bonnibel knew the Hacksworth girl well enough to know that, despite how much she 'hated' the farm boy, it was impossible for her to hurt him in that way.

"Miss…Bonnibel…" Once again the coiled thoughts of the frightened school teacher were interrupted, this time by Flanna's weak sobs. "Help…Finn…"

The red-haired girl's knees were shaking. Bonnibel couldn't tell for how long she had been carrying that precious burden on her back. She couldn't tell if the injuries in her body were as serious as the ones on Finn's, nor could she guess how much was the twelve-year-old girl going to resist…

"Miss Bonnibel…" Flanna managed to muster a whisper before the color in her eyes faded away, all her apparent strength finally leaving her body.

Bonnibel did what she had to do. She leaned towards the girl, her arms opened wide, and caught her students before they collapsed on the cold ground. The stench of blood drowned the sweet scent of her perfume as her tears fell upon the two kids in her arms.

A long sleepless night was awaiting her…

**x+x+x+x+x**

**Earlier that day…**

Finn dragged Cecile along the tunnel while he carried the little Bartram in his arms. The light peeking at the end of the road gave him a glimmer of hope, however, hope wouldn't be enough to calm the agitated thoughts that lurked in his mind. He was concerned about Flanna. After they heard the Destiny Gang's voices looming closer, she decided to offer herself as a distraction to keep them away while he found a way to get Cecile and Bartram out of the mine. The farm boy hated the idea of leaving her alone, inside there with those guys, but she never listened to him.

"_Are you insane?!" he exclaimed after the girl had proposed her idea. _

_They had tried to wait in silence until the D-Gang walked away, but it seemed that Big Destiny was too devious with his plans to let anything pass him aside. Their arrival was imminent, Flanna knew it and so did Finn._

"_Listen, I know my limits!" she replied anxiously. "I can do this! Now it's not the time for you to worry about me!" a smile graced her lips. "You have to get the mules out of here fast. I know you can do it 'cause it has always been hard for me to catch you whenever you run away like a big coward…"_

"_Okay, I'll do it…" Finn assured sternly as his expression was quickly shifted into a grin. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are crazy nuts!" _

Finn shook his head trying to get rid of the pessimist thoughts that had invaded his brain. He was finally outside. Gazing at the moonlit skies, the boy prayed mentally for Flanna's safety. It was funny how in a matter of hours he had grown found of her. But perhaps, Finn hadn't been feeling that way about Flanna just a few hours ago.

Perhaps, he had always felt like that, since she first walked through the classroom's door five years ago. It took Finn a life or death experience to help him realize that he truly cared for her.

"_I'll catch up with you soon, I promise!" _the red-haired girl's voice echoed within his mind.

His bare feet tapped the ground faster as he waited. Cecile was grazing somewhere behind him with the little Bartram making small hops beneath her to reach his mother's nutritious milk. From among his four-legged friends, Jake was the only one who could perceive Finn's uneasiness faster and more efficiently.

The pup laid his head on the boy's lap while this one sighed, "Where is she?"

It was taking her too long to show her freckled face. The more Finn turned back at the mine's entrance, hoping to see her jogging out of it, the more it seemed that she'd never appear.

"I can't stand it, Jake!" the boy claimed, springing up, his fists clenched tightly. "Something bad must have happened to her, I gotta go back!"

"Bark!" the bulldog yapped with determination.

Finn knew from experience that he could always rely on Jake's nose to find anything or anyone, any time and anywhere. This case was no exception. Flanna's scent was still pervading his clothes and it certainly helped his dog find her tracks within the darkness.

"_Seriously, Tremi…!" _Jake's ears perked up at the sound of that voice. _"I think we aren't getting enough credit for our hard work, I mean, does anybody notice us? Does anybody know our names? No! All people care about is 'Big-D this and Big-D that', while Trami and Tromo get all the attention 'cause they are his favorites…yeagh!"_

"_I guess you're right Trumo, but when the boss finds out that we've captured the Firefly, he's surely going to reward us this time! Hehe…!"_

"Flanna…!" Finn gasped instinctively, covering his mouth after realizing his mistake.

"_G__esundheit!" one of the thugs exclaimed upon hearing Finn's whisper.  
_

"_Thanks Tremi, but I haven't sneezed."_

"_Then what was that sound-? Another intruder?!"_

"_Could it be?"_

"_Mr. heroboy!" _the two voices exclaimed in unison.

The blonde boy tried to back away slowly as soon as he noticed two men running around the corner. One of them had short blue hair, purple sunglasses and a green sleeveless coat, while the other one was taller, with pink hair spiked upwards, a black headband on his forehead. This one was also wearing a weird light brown garment with darker boots.

"Yo, halt!" the blue-haired man cried, chasing Finn down.

Finn tried his best to keep his feet running, but his lack of shoes (as well as the lack of light inside the mine) caused him to trip over a rock, which —he could swear— had crushed his toes.

"That's it Trumo! You got him!" the man with the spiked hair yelled victoriously, heading towards his teammate.

The farm boy grunted and struggled to free himself out of Trumo's grasp uselessly. "What have you done to Flanna, you freaks?!"

"Flanna?" Tremi repeated doubtfully while he scratched his pink hair. "We don't know any Flannas… Hey Trumo! Wasn't your cousin's name Flanna?"

The shorter guy kicked his friend's shin in frustration. "He's talking about the Firefly, idiot!" Trumo stared down at Finn, still gripping his neck tightly. "Don't worry we haven't touched her!"

"Yeah, we're just keeping her locked in the small coal cellar that's in a nearby passage until she grows up a little so that Big-D turns her into his girlfriend, hehe—ow!" Tremi complained as Trumo kicked his leg once again.

"What the hell is wrong with you, giant piece of dumb?! Keep your mouth shut!"

"Hey, I'm just answering the boy's question!" Tremi folded his arms angrily. "It's not like if he could do anything about it! We were going to kill him anyway, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but what if Trami and Tromo hear you?! They'd steal our prize and…!"

As Finn listened to those dorks argue, he began to think in a plan to free himself from them, and rescue Flanna while he was at it. But what could he do? Trumo's grasp was tough. In order to escape, he'll have to force him to release him.

"Bouw…" the boy slowly turned his head towards that soft moan.

It was Jake, watching the scene from afar. The poor puppy looked pretty unsure about what to do to free his master.

"Jake…!" Finn whispered with a mischievous grin. "Chomp his butt!"

The puppy seemed to have understood his order because in the moment that the farm boy finished talking, the golden fur ball leaped over Trumo's buttocks, burying his sharp fangs in it.

"HOLY CRAP! MY BUTT!" the blue-haired gangster yelped, letting go of Finn to rub his aching soft spot.

Finn rolled on the ground, his hands quickly grabbing the rock that had made him trip a while ago as he got back onto his feet.

"Argh! How dare you outrage my butt?!" Trumo pulled Jake off his rear end and slammed him against the wall furiously. "Ha! Not so fierce now, right stupid dog?"

"Jake!" the boy cried, rushing to his buddy's side. The puppy was lying on the ground, seeming to be barely conscious. "You'll pay for hurting my friend!"

Finn charged against Trumo, pushing him up to the wall. He tightened his grip on the rock and used it to smack the gangster's head furiously. Some blood sprinkled over his shirt and face with each enraged hit until the man slid down onto the ground. Unconscious or dead, Finn was too angry to care.

"T-Trumo!" Tremi gasped, stumbling on his knees with astonishment. "S-stay away from me! You crazy brat!" he pleaded while Finn loomed menacingly over him, still holding the rock in his hands. Tremi's cowardice became more obvious with each step that the boy made towards him.

"Where's Flanna?!" Finn demanded harshly.

"I-I already told you…!" the tall guy stammered, covering his face in fear. "She's locked in the cellar, you'll find it on the tunnel that's just a few miles ahead… Please don't hurt me!"

Finn dropped the rock without saying a word. He crouched down next to Jake and scooped him up carefully. "How are you feeling, Jake?"

"Houw…" the puppy moaned weakly.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine…" Finn assured while he swung off his backpack to carry the puppy inside it. "I'll take care of you, I promise…"

"M-mom…mommy!" Tremi cried as Finn passed him by. He opened a small gap between his fingers and peeked through it. Finn was gone now. "Phew… it's a miracle, I'm alive…!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn noticed that his pace became rushed when his eyes spotted the small wooden doors at the end of the path. There was a lit lantern hanging right beside them. Its light helped the boy find the keyhole and he forced it open, using a rusty clip that he had casually found inside his pocket.

His eyes pierced into the darkness. Perceiving the sound of a hopeless weeping, the farm boy grabbed the lantern, knowing that its light and its warmth would provide some comfort to the frightened girl trapped inside that narrow room.

"Flanna?"

Upon hearing Finn's voice, the red-haired girl raised her head, barely believing her eyes. It concerned him how pale her face was, Finn could only imagine the desperation that the girl must have felt while she was locked in there. "F-Finn?"

None of them was able to keep waiting anymore. Without realizing it, the boy and the girl found themselves cuddling in each other's arms. Finn felt that it was his duty to offer her protection, while Flanna felt that it was okay to show him her weaknesses without any kind of fear. She was after all, a simple human, struggling to stay strong amidst the chaos that surrounded her. No more hiding was needed, as he lent her his friendly shoulder, Finn understood that Flanna was trusting him a side of herself that only a few knew. The farm boy held her tight in his arms, letting her cry.

"It's okay..." he whispered. "I understand..."

"I know you do." the girl sobbed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I hoped you would..."

And Finn smiled, realizing that he had truly earned Flanna's trust... and maybe, something more.

* * *

_**Update: Grammar checked and corrected.**_


	10. Hero

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Ten: Hero**

It didn't matter if they were in a hurry now, Finn knew that Tremi was obviously going to alert the rest of the gang and that they would be cornering them in a matter of seconds. But still, he felt that he had to let Flanna dry her tears first. Finn was oblivious of how it was to deal with a phobia. However, an idea of how extreme fear must feel struck his body with each shiver that ran down the red-haired girl's spine.

To see the once fierce Flanna Hacksworth weeping and literary suffering a nervous breakdown over him was really messing the farm boy up. Finn wished he knew what to do or what to say, it seemed that letting her wet his shirt with her tears and stroking her back wasn't going to be enough to comfort her.

"C'mon Flanna," he whispered in an attempt to encourage her "It's okay, you're free now…"

"No, I'm not!" the girl cried clinging harder onto his chest "We're still trapped underground! Get me out of here, Finn! Please get me out of here…!"

"I will, but first I need you to calm down, okay?" Mertens grabbed her shoulders forcing Flanna to look straight into his eyes "You remember what I told you before we walked inside this hole, right? I told you that I wasn't going to leave your side and here I am. I came back for you, and now I need you to stop crying… I need the annoying Flanna back…" he released her shoulders and hugged her again "The one I like…"

They remained there just holding each other, Finn could feel how little by little Flanna's heartbeats slowed down; she was really trying to calm herself down this time, his words of caring had managed to drive her out of her anxious state. He could still hear her sobbing, though. But it was better than watching her freak out.

Some minutes later, Flanna had finally found the courage to stop holding the boy and wipe off her tears with her forearm "Sorry I lost it there…" she apologized in embarrassment "You don't know what it's like to feel so afraid…"

"Then why did you offer yourself to distract those guys? We could've switched roles and maybe then-…"

"I just wanted you, Jake and Cecile out of this place… I thought that I would be able to fool those guys and catch up with you later, but then I…" Flanna's gaze drifted over Finn, the blonde boy noticed this and wondered what was wrong with her.

It took him a while to understand why she was staring at him, but when he finally did, Finn looked down at his shirt and realized that it was caked with blood. His first reaction was to rub his stomach in search of possible wounds, but there weren't any. "What the?" his blue eyes glimpsed some of the crimson substance staining his hands and his sleeves "Flanna, you're hurt!" Finn cried in realization, instantly leaping over her.

"Funny, huh? I hadn't even realized about it myself until now…" the red-haired girl chuckled softly "How come I can't leave my house without getting hurt? Dad's not going to like it…"

The farm boy sent her a look of disconcertment while he quickly laid her body on his lap. How could she worry about something like that when they were facing such a dangerous situation?

No, he was no doctor, but at least Finn had to know how serious her injury was before even trying to do something. His shaky hands lifted her shirt nervously while he constantly remembered himself that this was serious and there was no time to feel embarrassed or awkward about being –actually– undressing a girl.

"Your hands are cold…" Flanna complained weakly.

Finn rolled his eyes and ignored her. He was more concerned about the deep cut that crossed all the way down her stomach and into her pelvis –No; he wasn't going to check the wound any further.

"Is it bad?" the girl inquired apparently starting to feel the pain.

"F-Flanna…how did you get hurt in this way?" Finn felt the sweat crawling down his hat and forehead, the wound looked painful, but it couldn't be that serious…could it? He bit his lip in frustration, how was he supposed to know? He was just a farm boy "Flanna what happened?"

"I…I don't know, everything happened so fast…" she replied "These pair of freaks were chasing me down, I was way faster than them and I managed to fool them a couple of times… I pissed them off, I guess…" Finn cradled her in his arms carefully; now that her panic attack was over she was starting to show signs of pain "There were some tools scattered on the ground… one of those freaks got his hands on a pickaxe and then…" Flanna pressed her hands on her abdomen; a painful moan left her lips while she clenched her eyes shut "Dang…!"

"No! They said that they never touched you!" Finn exclaimed in frustration, not because he was skeptical but because he refused to believe that she had been severely hurt.

"Well, they lied…!" she replied rather angrily "It wouldn't be the first time…"

"No it wouldn't, hehe…!" a sardonic voice chuckled.

Both Finn and Flanna gritted their teeth in disdain recognizing that voice, Big Destiny and four of his men were standing at the cellar's door. The farm boy leaned protectively over the girl in his arms, his mind quickly considered the fact that Flanna wasn't going to get very far in her condition and prepared himself to carry her out of that place in a huff as soon as an opportunity showed itself.

"See, boss? I told you that those two were trying to ruin our plan!" the man known as Trumo appeared from behind his pals, his glasses were broken and a ugly-looking bruise was painted on his forehead.

"Trumo! You're alive!" his partner –Tremi, exclaimed in happiness.

"Not thanks to you fool!" the blue-haired man growled kicking his shin as usual "Big-D, I say that we should tie a stone on their ankles throw them into the creek so we can watch them drown!"

His leader's smile vanished away while he impulsively leaned over him "Are you telling Big Destiny what to do, huh?! Huh?! HUH?!"

"N-no boss, n-never…" Trumo stuttered pathetically, literally hiding his head within his thick coat.

"Tell us what are you planning to do with these pests and we'll gladly carry it out…" Tromo said confidently.

"…As painful and slowly as possible, boss." Trami added in the same way.

"Yeah, I will…" Big Destiny glanced back at the two defenseless kids and grinned "I want y'all out of these, hehe…"

"W-what? Why?!" the guy with the scar on his eye inquired in astonishment.

"Are you by any chance… questioning my methods, TROMO?!"

"Gah…! Nope, never man… It's cool! Everything you say is cool!" Tromo whined cowardly.

The rest of the Destiny Gang leaned against the surrounding walls, watching with curiosity how Big Destiny carried out "his methods". The tall buff man crouched down right in front of the frightened kids and gave them a smile.

"What's this Firefly? Are you hurt?" Big-D asked stretching his hand towards her.

"Don't you even dare to touch her!" came Finn's furious yelling followed by a sudden smack, which he delivered just before Big Destiny could graze Flanna's skin.

"Oh…! Hehe, I forgot that there was hero in the house…!" the gang's leader chuckled while he got back on his feet and unsheathed his sword menacingly.

Finn quickly closed his eyes and turned his face away waiting for the blade to strike, but nothing happened. The boy opened one of his eyes fearfully and noticed that Big Destiny was offering him the sword "Huh?"

Big-D grinned, a tiny hint of admiration hidden within his stern features "I must admit that the way in which you two are constantly daring to stand in my way is impressive."

Now it was his gang's turn to gasp in surprise "B-boss?!"

"SILENCE!" Big Destiny handed Finn his sword "You seem to call yourself a hero, so now Big Destiny's giving you the chance to show what you've got." Once the farm boy had received the blade, the orange-haired man strode towards Tromo and snatched his katana "C'mon little hero, let me see what kind of skills are hidden under your sleeve, and maybe I'll let you and your firefly leave this pit alive…!"

Finn stared at the sword uneasily, as a farmer, his hands had held a great variety of tools during his short lasting life such as hoes, hammers, and sickles, but this was the first time in which he had ever wielded a weapon…how was that supposed to make him a hero?

Flanna noticed with fear that he was taking off his backpack with the obvious resolve of accepting Big Destiny's deal "F-Finn?"

The boy helped her rest her back against the wall and handed her his bag "Jake's resting inside it, please take good care of him, okay?"

"B-but…" she whispered in disbelieve "Who's going to take care of you?"

Finn grabbed her hands firmly and forced a smile "If I manage to beat this guy he'll let us leave this place, that way I'll be able to take you and Jake to a doctor… I'm sorry, but…this is the only way."

"He'll kill you." Flanna replied sternly.

"Something worse will happen if I refuse to do this…" the blonde boy tapped her head as if he was older and grinned goofily "Don't worry, you have trained me well on how to be beaten up, heh…"

The red-haired pulled his hands before he dared to walk away from her, she held them tightly between hers and remarked "Finn Mertens… you're one of the biggest idiots I have ever met, but you're also…one that I like."

**x+x+x+x+x**

The Destiny Gang smirked in pleasure as their leader crushed Finn's head under his pink shoe, the boy moaned and grunted insistently fighting desperately to free his cranium from Big-D's weight.

All his efforts were useless; the pressure was too much. The humble farm boy could only taste the irony flavor of his blood mixed with the dirt of the ground and hope to find a way out of his struggle before his consciousness faded away.

His blue eyes glimpsed a bright glimmer only a few inches away from his hand, Finn stretched his fingers reaching out for whatever it was, that wasn't an easy task, but the prize was worth all the pain.

He had managed to retrieve his sword and didn't hesitate in stabbing its tip on Big Destiny's foot, the orange-haired man screeched in anger kicking the boy away from him. Finn crashed against the cellar's door, his body hit the lantern causing it to break and spread its fire on the ground.

Big Destiny approached towards the semiconscious boy and lifted him by his shirt's collar, his fist delivered several abrasive blows on Finn's face. He watched the boy spill some blood and stabbed his stomach with a violent strike of his knee causing more blood to leak out of his organism.

"Hehe…Thus, the great hero was slayed by the immeasurable power of Big Destiny!" the ruthless man claimed as he tossed Finn's battered body into the cellar.

"Woo! Well done Big-D! Impressive…!" the gang clapped pumping up their leader's vanity.

"That's what you get when you mess with the Destiny Gang! Destiny Gang sweeps the floor with you!" Big Destiny laughed while he glorified himself "Where's your courage now, hero?!"

"Look around you, butt!" Flanna's enraged voice cut off his mocks "Finn's courage has been shed all over this tunnel and he's just a boy!" Big-D stared at her intrigued by her words, she couldn't be talking about the blood that was sprinkled in almost every wall, was she? "So what? You jacked up a child all by yourself? Congratulations, I wonder how much courage is needed to do something similar!"

"Watch your words, Firefly…" Big-D grunted, his feet drawing him closer to her.

"Who'd you think you are anyway?!" the girl yelled ignoring his warning "I'll tell you what you really are, a coward…! Even a feeble boy like Finn is greater than you…!"

Big Destiny clutched her neck using one of his hands and lifted her over the ground "I think I told you to watch your words, Firefly…" he smirked "Look at you, who's going to save you now?"

"Heh…" Flanna's gaze drifted back into the cellar, the lantern's fire had spread itself towards a crate full of dynamite. A horrified gasp was heard in the back of the room, Big-D's men had vanished from sight while he stared at the explosives hopelessly. Flanna chuckled in delight "Look at you… who's going to save you now?"


	11. One-Armed Boy

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Eleven: One-Armed Boy**

The flames reflected their light on Big Destiny's glasses as his expression of horror caused a satisfied grin on Flanna's face. He released the grip on her collar and smashed the girl against the ground just thinking about running away as fast as he could.

Flanna glimpsed Big-D vanishing like a blur in the darkness, she still didn't know if her father was being kept prisoner inside the mine; she couldn't know where he was, she couldn't save him. Her eyes drifted softly towards the unconscious boy beside her.

The red-haired girl grasped his hand as she pulled her aching body closer to him; the green bag with the bulldog puppy was still in her arms –being carried, as if he was her own baby. "Finn…" Flanna whispered while she shoved her shoulder under his chest in an attempt to help him up "C'mon fool, do you wanna die?"

There was no response from her ex-rival, Hacksworth could only muster the little strength she had left to push themselves up and hope that Finn would be fine once their ordeal is over. Flanna winced a little feeling the pain of her wound just when she managed to rest Finn on her back. The fire was almost reaching the crate.

Her feet began to run guided by the horrified grunts of the Destiny Gang way ahead of her, she felt her speed rising up with each beat of her heart, the adrenaline combined with the fear of dying causing her body to ignore the pain and power her muscles.

Flanna had never run so fast in her entire life, not even when Finn stole her favorite plush toy –a cat-like animal that she had called Flambo– and threatened to toss it inside the town's well –where she would never enter because of her claustrophobia.

The fire reached the TNT crate, triggering a potent explosion behind her.

A resigned smile graced Flanna's lips as she felt the unbearable heat of the fire eating away everything on its reach. Four days ago her biggest worry was to pass Miss Bonnibel's math test and find a way to make Finn pay for actually throwing Flambo into the well. Who would have imagined that in a matter of days she would be running for her life, trying to save Mertens' as well?

The immense expansion of the released energy struck Flanna's back sending her along with Finn various miles away in a straight line. Their bodies hit the ground with a thud, the fire hadn't still caught up with them but Flanna could already feel the heat burning her skin. She tried to push herself up once again, only to fall back onto the singeing ground; at that point Flanna knew that they weren't going to make it.

Finn clenched his eyelids forcing them to let him go back to the reality, he snapped out of his trance and noticed that Flanna was barely breathing at his side, a sudden wave of pain engulfing his tore body. The farm boy stretched his arm and grazed the red-haired girl's shoulder with his bloodstained hand to make her turn back at him.

The two stared at each other while they lay helplessly on the ground, the fire roaring in the distance as it drew closer to consume them along with the coal.

"You should have stayed in your bed…" Flanna said weakly "Instead of coming along with me, you should have known this was an insane idea…"

Finn replied her with the calmest smile he could muster "Impossible, Flanna… you would have dragged me out anyway, heh…"

The girl chuckled as well, soon her smile became more serious "You know Finn, I wish we…would've been friends before…"

Mertens nodded while he imagined how his life would have been if Flanna Hacksworth were his friend, their constant hate towards each other had only caused them trouble, bruises and low grades at school. Now that Finn had discovered that he could actually get along with Flanna he regretted all the bad things and pranks that he had done to her, and wished for a second chance.

The boy wanted to know how would it feel to run through the fields along with her and play with Jake. To escape from school to go fishing at the creek and have diving competitions, to visit Tea Hanks; eat apple pies, play and laugh together. If only he had been nicer to Flanna from the start…

"No…!" Finn dragged the blackened dirt with his shivering fingers while he fought to raise himself up "I'm not going to let it end like this… We still have so much to live together…c'mon Flanna! You can't give up just now…!"

The raging growls of the fire blasting through the tunnels echoed in the walls, another explosion was imminent. Finn analyzed his surroundings desperately and glimpsed the iron wagon that Jake had jolted some hours ago, an idea lighting his brain.

"Flanna, we gotta use that wagon to shield ourselves from the detonation…!" Mertens cried as he crawled closer to her barely conscious body "It may save our lives, c'mon please…!"

"I hope you're right…" she replied embracing Jake tightly with one arm while she dragged her weight with the other.

Finn and Flanna managed to get inside the old wagon and lied down; the girl curling up like a ball with the puppy in her arms and the boy acquired a similar position warping his arms around her and burying his face into her hair. They waited feeling the racing beats of their hearts and the quivering of their trembling bones, cold sweat soaking their tattered clothes.

His grip on Flanna grew tighter as an intense gush of heat drew closer –somehow hoping that his body would be enough protection for her and the pup in her arms. The next thing he felt was the girl's head pushing itself deeper into his chest as a strong blazing pulse impacted the wagon.

The flames engulfed them burning their skin and clothes, the children screamed in pain and fear knowing that they were being shot out of the mine by a massive wall of fire. Finn saw it all white and dared to open his eyes, the wagon crashed not very far from the mine's entrance delivering their bodies to the surface with a violent thud.

The impact forced him to let go of Flanna, but Finn knew that they were still far from being safe and dragged his body over the unconscious girl in an attempt to protect hers. He slid his neck next to hers feeling her faint breath on his burnt skin, his left arm embraced both Flanna and Jake while his right one remained over their heads, covering their faces.

The tunnels literally breathed fire over the two kids, bathing their bodies with its melting heat. Finn didn't know what happened after that; he just listened to himself screaming until his voice faded along with his breath, the world vanishing from existence as the flames overlapped his limbs.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Flanna opened her green eyes at the sound of the flickering flames burning the withered leaves around her. She felt Jake's fluffy fur beneath her chest and tried to push herself up so she could check on him, an unknown burden on her back startled her in the middle of her action.

"Finn…!" the Hacksworth girl gasped once she had managed to remember the explosion. Her hands carried him carefully onto the ground while she tried her best to fight the incoming tears that were gathering within her eyes.

Finn wasn't even a shadow of his past self. His skin was completely seared being his right arm the worst sign of his terrible condition, blood caked his scorched muscles and his sleeve had merged into his skin.

"Oh, Finn…" Flanna cried leaning over him, she was scared about not knowing what to do to save him. Finn was going to die there, while she lied by his side crying in vain.

"Humph…! I never thought that a pair of runts like you could bring me so much trouble…"

That voice… Flanna raised her head from Finn's chest and faced the man before her, hatred darting out of her watery eyes "You…" she hissed "This is all your fault!"

Big Destiny remained silent and stared at her meticulously; his eyes were no longer covered by his magenta-tinted glasses being possibly, the only outcome that the explosion had caused on him. He made a few steps towards her, holding his golden sword tightly.

The red-haired girl winced in fear but tried her best to remain as stoic as possible "So what?!" she yelled angrily "Don't you think we've had enough?!"

The orange-haired man tilted his head a little appreciating the way in which the flames swirled around Flanna as if by some mysterious kind of magic she were capable of commanding their motion, her eyes piercing at his fiercely just like the wild fire, which was burning free behind her.

Big-D loomed over the girl raising his golden blade slowly, Flanna immediately closed her eyes plunging her face onto Finn when her ears perceived the sound of the sword cutting through the air. She expected a blow that never came.

"Huh?" Flanna let her eyelids drift open slowly, a glimpse of gold striking her irises. The sword had been thrust into the ground.

"You're right, Firefly…" Big Destiny said while he crossed his arms "You've had enough. The mines were blown, your hero friend doesn't stand a chance of surviving and you'll faint in any moment now… It's over. Luckily for me, my men managed to extract enough coal to make us filthy rich when the winter arrives, heh… I gotta thank that Hacksworth dude for it…"

"Dad…" Flanna sobbed weakly.

"Dad?" Big-D replied in surprise "Well look at that! This is certainly a small town…!" he turned away from her still chuckling lightly "If you somehow manage to survive…your father is trapped inside an abandoned cabin by the creek…"

The red-haired girl softened her features as she watched Big Destiny walk away, his hands shoved in his pockets "You know Firefly…" he whispered after stopping his pace, his face never turning back to glance at her "I kinda wish I had been as brave as you when I was your age…" his shoulders shrugged "Just saying…"

Flanna Hacksworth remained there, sitting among the flames, wondering if Big Destiny had actually showed some compassion or he if was just playing with her mind.

"Bouw…?" Jake nuzzled in her stomach making her react.

"Right, Jake…" Flanna whispered while she shook her head "I gotta carry Finn back to safety…"

Mustering every ounce of dertermination in her spirit, Flanna managed to get the boy on her back and raise the weight of their bodies up.

A long way back to Junktown awaited…

**x+x+x+x+x**

The warm feeling of fingers running through his hair sharpened his senses. Finn opened his eyelids glimpsing the familiar sight of his bedroom's wooden roof, a shock of excitement rushing through his veins.

"I'm…" the boy whispered "home…?"

"Yes son, you're home."

Finn flinched at the sound of his mother's voice, was he dreaming? He leaned back slowly trying to get a sitting position and noticed that he was lying on his bed, his body was covered by his blue blankets and Jake was snoring peacefully at his feet.

"J-Jake…?"

"Miss Bonnibel said you had befriended this puppy and asked me to let you keep him as a reward for your bravery." Mrs. Mertens smiled at him "I'm so proud of you Finn…!"

"Proud?" Finn's head was spinning, he wasn't able to understand or remember what was going on. He just felt an agonizing sting of pain shooting through his body, which caused him to kick the blankets away from him.

"Finn wait…!" his mother gasped leaning over him.

The farm boy's eyes widened in astonishment: his chest, back, and shoulders were covered with bandages, while some cuts covering his skin were roughly stitched waiting for time to heal them. However, none of those wounds impressed him as much as the mechanical arm that had sprouted from his right shoulder.

"The doctor did everything she could, but your arm had taken too much fire…it was impossible to save it…" the blonde woman said in response to his puzzled look "I-it's not that bad, son… your father built it for you with his own hands and the doctor says you will get used to it in a month…!"

"It-it's not that mom…" Finn replied calmly "This arm is awesome," Mrs. Mertens gasped in awe "I was just worried… if this happened to me then… what happened with Flanna?"

"F-Flanna?" his mother repeated not being able to believe his words "You, Finn Mertens…worried about the Hacksworth girl?!" she leaned in and placed her hand on his forehead and then on his cheeks.

"What are you doing mom?" the boy giggled nervously.

"Weird, you don't seem to have any fever…" she whispered "It most be the pills, I'll tell the doctor to reduce your dose in this instant!"

"Mom, hold on!" Finn exclaimed pulling her skirt to force her to return to her seat "I'm fine, I really am…! I just need to know… how's Flanna doing! Is she hurt? Is she dead? Please tell me, mom!"

"Amazing…" Mrs. Mertens whispered while she brushed Finn's hair softly "Losing an arm is 'awesome' and now he's concerned about the Hacksworth girl… what in the world-?"

"Mom!"

"Okay fine, she's actually doing much better than you." His mother chuckled "In fact she bumped into a cart at the market as usual last week. Dear, that girl is always getting herself hurt…! Hehe!"

"Last week? Wait, for how long-?"

"You've been unconscious for three weeks, Finn. Your father and I were starting to get scared, you know?"

"Three weeks?! Holy shrub…!" Finn tried to leap out of his bed but his mother stopped him in mid-way "Mom I need to know what happened with the Destiny Gang! And the mine! And Flanna!"

"Hush, son…" Mrs. Mertens laid him down and covered him with the blankets "You gotta stop worrying about those things, now you need to rest…"

"But mom…" the boy pleaded, "Can't I see Flanna at least?"

"Oh, Finn…" she sighed in disappointment "I'm sorry but, that's not possible…"

"What? Why?!"

"After the colliery was destroyed Mr. Hackworth needed to find a way of solving his new financial issues and decided to ask his brother for help. They…they are moving to the city…tonight…"

"The city?!" Finn gasped "But…they will return, right?"

His mother shook her head "You must understand that the city offers them better opportunities of work and education, the Hackworth lost everything they had here, there's no reason for them to return…"

"But… I couldn't even… say good-bye to her…" the blonde boy whispered in disappointment "It's not fair…!"

"I'm sorry Finn, there's nothing you can do about it. Just try to go back to sleep, everything will be better in the morning…"

"I seriously doubt it…" the boy protested covering his face with the blankets.

**x+x+x+x+x**

"Woof…! Woof…!" Jake's insistent barking drove him out of his sleep.

"Quit it Jake…!" the boy moaned angrily.

"Houuuuw….!" The puppy howled in excitement.

"Jake what the-?!" a sharp hit on his forehead cut his words off. Finn leaned down and realized that something had tossed one of his pills against his head "Huh?"

"You were supposed to take that pill an hour ago!" an angry voice yelled from his window "How irresponsible! If you die, all my efforts would have been in vain! You're very ungrateful, Mertens!"

Finn dropped his jaw open in surprise; Flanna Hacksworth was sitting on his window's frame with a fake look of anger on her face "F-Flanna… you're here…!"

"Of course I'm here, you dumb!" she smiled "I couldn't leave without saying good-bye to…" her cheeks blushed a little "My hero…"

Finn ran out of his bed and hugged her with all his strength "I thought you were gone forever!"

"Careful, Finn…! My wounds still hurt ya know?!" Flanna struggled a little to free her body from his embrace, but she ended up returning the hug anyway "Dad told me that you had lost your arm, but I didn't believe it… I'm sorry that things had ended up like this…"

"Things ended up just fine…" Finn replied, "You should be sorry about leaving…"

"I am..." The girl whispered, "I just wanted to make sure that you were not going to forget about writing me a letter every week…you'll be failing to our pact if you do!"

The farm boy pushed away from her a little "What's wrong with you? Of course I won't forget about something like that…!"

"Great…!" Flanna exclaimed pushing him away –much to his disappointment– and sprinted towards the window "I gotta go now, if dad finds out that I'm not where I'm supposed to be, he'll ground me for a week.

"Yeah… I get it…" Finn sighed "Good-bye, Flanna…"

"Bye Finn…" she replied and then jumped out of the window to climb down the oak tree.

Finn got back into his bed and covered himself with his blankets, he felt Jake snuggling on side while he tried to fall asleep once again. He closed his eyes and sighed not being able to believe that he was already missing that screwball girl, he could even swear that she hadn't left the room at all.

That is until he felt a warm sensation on his lips. Finn flinched realizing that the feeling was real; Flanna was really there pecking his mouth as gently as she could to avoid waking him up. Inevitably, the red-haired girl left his side almost immediately dashing like a red blur out of his window.

Finn was left alone with only one thought in his mind.

"Come back soon Flanna…"

**To be continued in 2013 **

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**

**~It seems that Finn actually lost his right arm instead of his left one, I have just corrected that lil' mistake... my bad.~  
**

I'd really like to thank you for all the nice comments that this fic has gotten! This chapter marks the start of the 'crown's events' but of course it won't be that rushed, Finn and Flanna (Flame Princess) still have a lot challenges waiting for them. Sadly, I won't be able to keep updating becuase of the holidays, but I swear that I will be back in January with the second arc of this story.

Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

-SCIK1012**  
**


	12. A New Life

**Surprise! It seems that I found some time to write this after all but it will be the last 'til January. It's a little fuffly, but I hope you enjoy it. See ya!  
**

* * *

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twelve: A New Life**

He pulled his head out of the cold water, multiple drops dripping down from his blonde hair and nose. Finn shook his head to get rid of them, regretting the action instantly. A jolt of pain struck his body forcing him to lean on the improvised sink, it had been five days since he first woke up and Flanna left the town. His wounds hadn't healed completely yet, nor had he gotten used to the metal prosthesis on his right shoulder.

"A month…" the boy whispered staring at his reflection in the mirror "The doctor said it'll stop hurting in a month…"

Finn hated the look of the still reddened stitches on his pale skin; it somehow disgusted him to stare at the mechanical limb shoved inside his shoulder. His flesh had blackened due to his body fighting to reject it while the bloody red of his peeled stump coagulated slowly to scar the wound over.

As he had muttered earlier, it was a disgusting sight. However, Flanna didn't seem disgusted by his look four nights ago when she accepted him in her arms before leaving.

Finn glanced back at the mirror still thinking of her "Maybe…it isn't as bad as it seems…" the farm boy smiled at the faint blush that had suddenly reddened his cheeks and left the mirror behind.

His feet climbed the stairs back into his bedroom where he got his shirt and backpack on and then descended them quickly to meet his mother at the table for breakfast. A warm "Good morning" from the gentle woman welcomed him as he sat down to ingest something solid for the first time in three weeks.

"No, no. What'd you think you're doing, son?" Mrs. Mertens inquired pulling the bacon out of his reach "It won't make you any good to eat that yet. The doctor said oatmeal and oatmeal is what you'll have for breakfast today."

"But…Mom…!" Finn complained in discontent. How come he was ready to go to school, but not to eat bacon?! "Just let me have a tiny piece, pleaaase…!"

"No way son." His mother took a sip from her coffee cup and then stared at him firmly "Now eat your breakfast, you're gonna be late for school."

Finn sighed in disapproval as he glared at the oatmeal bowl in front of him; he stretched his arms and tried to hold it in front of him, unfortunately the metal claw that had replaced his hand slipped constantly with the bowl's surface making the task of feeding himself an impossible one.

The farm boy dropped his food angrily on the table causing it to roll down and cover his pants with its hot and thick content "Agh! Dang it!" he growled hitting the table with his only fist.

"Oh son, that's bad luck but you'll soon learn how to deal with it." Mrs. Mertens said in a comforting tone "Trust me. Now go upstairs and get yourself changed for school."

"School…" Finn muttered crossing his arms, a new jolt of pain striking his body "Ow…yeah sure…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

The first thing that Finn did once he stepped outside was to run towards the mailbox with an enthusiastic Jake hopping behind him, he checked inside it expectantly, but there weren't any letters waiting for him to open them. The boy sighed in disappointment as he sat on one of the tree's giant roots holding his face with his flesh hand.

"Bouw?" the bulldog moaned staring at him with worry.

"No Jake, nothing from her yet…" Finn replied with sadness "I hope Flanna hasn't forgotten about me, I mean, there's probably a lot of fancy stuff much more interesting to do and see at the city than writing to a broken farm boy like me…"

"Bark!" Jake yapped angrily placing his paws on Finn's chest.

"All right, all right! I didn't mean it!" the boy grunted in response "Guess…I have to leave now… See ya later Jake!"

Finn rushed towards school waving good-bye at Bartram and Cecile who were staring at him through the barn's window just chewing some hay. He sprinted across the fields enjoying gladly the soft breeze in his hair and the warmth of the sun for the first time in weeks.

He was happy of being back, but as his feet took him closer and closer to the small building where he was heading to, his smile began to fade. His blue eyes couldn't help to notice a weird look on his classmates' faces, which made him feel rather uncomfortable.

Miss Bonnibel appeared on the door and rang the bell to call everyone inside, the usual kindness that irradiated from her managed to brighten up his mood a little. "Finn! Is that you?!" the young woman exclaimed joyfully as she ran to meet him at the entrance "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"

Finn pulled away from her gentle embrace and grinned "Just a little, but don't worry, I can take it!"

"You're such a brave boy," the teacher smiled "C'mon, let's go inside."

The energetic commotion of kids talking to each other, tossing paper airplanes and copying some else's homework died right at the same instant in which Finn Mertens walked inside. His sweat rolled down his cheeks as he strode towards his seat feeling the heavy weight of everyone's eyes on him.

When the walk of shame ended, an awkward silence filled the classroom. Finn shut his eyes nervously and struggled to remove his backpack, being his mechanic arm a nuisance to do so. The old rusty metal that his father had used to build it squealed and creaked causing some uncovered giggles to break the silence and increase his embarrassment.

Miss Bonnibel didn't fail in noticing this and released her pen immediately to glare at her students "What's going on here? Your classmate has just returned from recovering and you were supposed to give him a warm welcome, c'mon kids!"

"Welcome back…!" a giggling voice at the end of the classroom shouted before bursting in laughter "One-arm!"

The rest of the class joined the laughter coming up with more puns and taunts about Finn's missing limb and its replacement. Bonnibel acted in the farm boy's defense immediately, which just ended up in her worsening the situation, for the other kids had now labeled Finn as "The teacher's favorite", title that earned him more shameful names and taunts.

The rest of the class just became more awkward for Finn with each minute that passed until the time for recess arrived. His classmates left the room in a hurry carrying their lunchboxes and toys to enjoy the sunny day that was waiting for them outside while Finn remained silent inside the classroom.

He had never felt so ashamed and angry in his life, not even when Flanna used to prank him. "Flanna…" the boy heard himself whisper as he fixed his sight on her empty seat. When the red-haired girl was around it was as if the classroom was reduced to only two students; him and her.

Miss Bonnibel's punishments and anger were always centered on the two of them, as well as the other kids' attention. Finn never noticed them whispering or laughing about him because he was too focused on bothering Flanna to care about them. Now that she was gone he had turned into everyone's mocking target. Somehow the school had turned into a bigger place without her, and for the first time in his life Finn Mertens felt…lonely.

"Oh Finn…!" Miss Bonnibel's voice echoed behind him "I'm so sorry about this, I promise to have a severe talk with them and their parents after school! How'd you like that?"

The boy lowered his gaze and sighed "No Miss…don't do that please… I…"

The teacher crouched beside his seat and tilted her head "What is it, Finn?"

"I'm…I'm just gonna quit coming to school…"

His response made her flinch in astonishment "What?! Finn no! W-we can work on this! You don't have to give up your education!"

"I'm not even good at this, teacher…!" Finn replied in exhaustion "I have a poo brain, I can't even spell my own name right and you know it!"

"But Finn… What about your parents?"

"It's okay, we were born as farmers and that's what I want to be, I've never really longed for anything else…"

"Finn…if you were so sure about that then why did you keep coming to classes, silly boy?" Miss Bonnibel asked gently "You'd be wasting five years of your life if you quit now…"

"I kept coming because…" the teacher noticed that his eyes drifted towards Flanna's seat "I-I…I'm not sure…I'm feeling weird all of a sudden! …And confused…"

A tender smile graced Bonnibel's features "You're quitting because she's not coming back? Was Flanna Hacksworth your only motivation to assist school?"

Finn's face flushed intensely "What?! I-I never said such thing!"

"No, but those are the kind of feelings that tend to show themselves with time…" Miss Bonnibel stroke his hair softly as she got back on her feet "It's okay Finn, if this place causes you so much bitterness you should stay away from it." she smiled once again "Go home, Finn."

"Thanks Miss…!" the boy said hugging her waist and then rushed outside leaving his teacher alone.

"I should have known from the beginning…" Bonnibel whispered "It was love all along..."

**x+x+x+x+x**

Mrs. Mertens was outside helping her husband water the crops, although he didn't want her to do it because of her baby. Jake was lying under a tree's comfortable shade when the sound of coming footsteps made his ears perk up, the puppy sprung barking and wagging his tail in excitement causing the Mertens to stop their labors and glimpse at their son coming earlier than expected.

"Finn what are you-…?" his mother tried to ask but the boy passed her by in such a rush that it was impossible for her to finish the phrase.

"I'm sorry, school sucks, it seems that my arm too, has the mailman passed around here? Never mind I just noticed he did!" the boy exclaimed at such speed that it was impossible to understand a word of what he just said.

Finn opened the mailbox and grasped one of the letters with his hand. It came from the city, he could tell because of the postal stamp on its envelope. The boy shouted something enthusiastically and made his way upstairs dashing inside the house like a tornado while his parents stared at each other in astonishment.

"Hurry up Jake!" the farm boy said before he closed his bedroom's door and opened the letter "This is it; it's from her, Jake!"

"Woof! Woof!" the puppy barked jumping on his bed.

"Dear Finn…" he began reading it aloud.

_Dear Finn,_

_How's your new arm doing? I hope it's doing better than my wound; it has done nothing but to give me trouble! My father is forcing me to go into this school for rich people where you have to behave all nicely and junk, they talk about etiquette all the time and I have to wear a stupid dress that doesn't let me breathe the whole day! _

_Anyway, I had to take a "swimming class" __–As if I needed that, I've swum ragging rivers for the love of- Oh! I'm getting distracted. Whatever, you should have seen the look on everyone's face when they saw my awesome scar…! The guys stared at me weird and the girls were totally annoying saying that I would never get married because of it!_

_Then at home is just the same situation, my cousins Francis and Thomas are a pair of butts! They really try their best to annoy me as much as they can and get me in trouble with dad…ugh… I'm not allowed to say the word butt in here, but I will if I could 'cause that's what they are!_

_How are Jake, Bartram and Cecile doing? I really miss those guys, you know? Oh! Have you seen any sign of the Destiny Gang? I'm pretty sure they will come back one day, so stay alert, okay?_

_You know Finn, I wish you were here… things wouldn't be so hard if I had a friend by my side. We are still friends, right? I promise I'll keep writing, okay? And don't worry, one day I'll find my way out of this dungeon, mansion or whatever they call it and I'll runaway to Junktown! _

_I just need to see you again, Mertens… _

_Please tell me you feel the same…_

"Flanna…" Finn whispered "Did you hear that, Jake? She misses me! She hasn't forgotten about me and…!"

The boy furrowed his brow and ran downstairs; he pulled a drawer open and reached for a pen. Flanna had given him a request and he was determined to clarify all her doubts,

"_Dear Flanna…"_ his left hand scribbled with difficulty _"Of course I feel the same. I lov-…"_ he crossed that word _"I miss you…"_


	13. Peter Butler

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Thirteen: Peter Butler**

_Dear Flanna,_

_These last two months have been a total pain in the butt because of the winter season. We've had to endure cold and hunger while those Destiny guys sold your father's coal at the market indiscriminately (Miss Bonnie helped me to write that word, she's so nice!) They are making lots of money out of other people's misery … if only you were here, we could find a way of stealing the coal and share it with everybody for free._

_In fact there's a bunch of things that I'd do if only you were here, I've heard that the city is a nice place 'cause everyone has lit chimneys in their houses and the streets are cleaner 'cause people use cars instead of horses…–You know I'm talking about the poop, right?– But I hope you miss this little piece of land as much as I'm missing you right now, Flanna._

_I ummm… When will I be able to see you again? You know, I'm not very good with numbers but it's been like four months since the last time I saw you and…well even my little sibling arrived sooner than you… Do I sound desperate? I'm not desperate to see you if that's what you're thinking! _

_Just hurry up, dang it! _

The red-haired girl had to cover her mouth to stop a giggle from coming. Unfortunately, the happy look on her face was easily contrastable with the dull environment in which she was at the moment, and her new teacher didn't let it go unnoticed.

"Hacksworth!" the angry growl of an extremely tall and thin woman was shot towards her.

Flanna slid her letter under her desk with a quick movement of her hand and prepared a mental excuse while Miss Agatha, an abnormally hunchbacked-woman with long black hair tied into a tight chignon loomed over her using an old cane as support.

"Yes ma'am." The young girl replied as sternly as possible.

Hacksworth could only think of her new school teacher as an ugly old hag, she was nothing compared to Miss Bonnibel's sympathy and enthusiasm for educating. Miss Agatha seemed to be angry all the time, she yelled at her students constantly and would hit their knees with a ruler if anyone dared to break any of the classroom's rules.

The teacher leaned on Flanna's desk and stared at her square in the eyes, the girl's features tensed a little because of the closeness but remained unchanged despite the sudden burst of nervousness inside her. She wasn't supposed to open Finn's letter in class. If Miss Agatha managed to discover it, there was surely going to be trouble for her.

Miss Agatha frowned as she glared at Flanna and demanded an answer with a snort "Do we still have the pleasure of having you with us at class or has your little mind drifted towards somewhere else, hmm?"

Her creaky voice caused Flanna to shudder, however the girl was quick enough to cover her own fear with an unsure smile and shook her head "I'm right where I'm supposed to be, Miss."

Flanna tried to slide the letter under her skirt while the teacher was distracted; sadly, Agatha's cane struck her knee before she could proceed to do anything else. The old hag snatched the paper from her as soon as she shrieked in pain and smashed her desk with her hands.

"LIAR!" the teacher screamed provoking the fearful stares of the other girls in the classroom to fall upon Flanna "You were reading this when you were supposed to be focused on class!" her shouts continued to fill the air as she waved Finn's letter on the red-haired girl's face.

Hacksworth gritted her teeth and clenched her fists while her head remained hung down, there was nothing she could do to stop a terrible disaster from happening. Miss Agatha read the letter aloud in front of the class shrieking in irritation after she had emphasized the fact that, said letter was written by a boy.

That was the last straw for Flanna, she sprung off her seat striking her desk's table with her fists "And what's wrong with that?! Girls and boys study inside the same classroom at the country!" she yelled.

"_Girls and boys? They are mixed at the countryside? Humph! No wonder she's so aggressive and bad mannered!" _ The other girl's murmured between giggles and sardonic gestures.

"Stop…WHISPERING!" Flanna cried hitting her desk once again.

Her behavior was of course immediately disapproved by her teacher, and it earned Flanna a ticket to the principal's office where she made another angry tantrum in her defense and was forced to endure a torturing punishment after school.

Flanna delicately lifted her grey skirt over her knees, which combined perfectly with her new dull outfit, and knelt reluctantly over a pile of dried grits. The red-haired girl was forced to spend an entire hour in that position, Flanna knew by experience that soon her knees would start bleeding but she didn't care.

For her strict teachers it was a punishment, while for her it was a whole hour of peace in which she could reminiscence freely about her happy moments at Junktown. Although she had lost Finn's letter that afternoon, Flanna could still recall each sentence word by word in her mind and imagine the green hills of the farming fields where she once used to run as wildly as she wanted. She could listen to Finn's voice so clearly that it was as if he was there with her. It was hard for Flanna to admit it at first, but the longer she stayed away from Junktown, the more she longed to go back in time and stay in Finn's arms instead of hopping through his window the night she left. She missed him and her old life at Junktown greatly.

Her life wasn't so restricted back then, Flanna was actually a free girl while she lived in the humble surroundings of that old town, even when she was forced to remain locked in her bedroom. Now Flanna could understand clearly that the city was the real prison, sure everything was fancier and easier there, but it was a prison nonetheless. She was like a bird trapped in a golden cage.

**x+x+x+x+x**

The way back home wasn't a pleasant walk either; the rainy season came along with the newly arrived spring and the end of winter washing away all the snow in the rocky streets and chilling Flanna's spine at the same time. The girl hadn't brought an umbrella with her, she never expected to be grounded and miss every mean of transportation when she woke up that clouded morning.

Her feet splashed the water beneath them as the red-haired girl advanced with a slow pace. She couldn't care less about getting wet, all Flanna wanted was to reach her uncle's home and bury herself under her bed's blankets for the rest of her life.

Flanna stopped her walking shortly after her ears perceived the sound of another pair of feet following hers; she turned back and grunted bitterly "What do you guys want now?"

Her older cousins, Francis and Thomas snickered in response. They were only a couple years older than her, and in her opinion, it made them twice as annoying as the typical teens of their age. They both shared practically the same features as Flanna; wild russet hair and green eyes (except for Thomas' slanted ones), a strong body frame just like her father and uncle, and the ability to intimidate anyone who dared to stand in their way –except for another Hacksworth, that is.

"What are you doing here ssso lonely, little cousin?" Francis asked with a mocking smile. A single perked-up fringe above his forehead could easily fool anyone into believing that he was a nice person, when in reality he was totally the contrary of it on the inside.

"Heh, yeah! Aren't you supposed to be at home already?" his brother added with a teasing giggle.

"I'm just trying to get back home…" her response was quiet and sincere. Flanna was exhausted of not being able to fit anywhere and wished to go back to the only place where she would be received with open arms. She just wanted Junktown back. She wanted Finn back.

"Hey brother, I think I know what's wrong with our dear Flanna" Thomas said, "It probably has a lot to do with this!"

He shoved out a yellow envelope filled with a bunch of papers, which Flanna easily recognized as all the letters that Finn had sent her since she left the countryside. A horrified gasp left her throat watching how Francis snatched it from his brother's hand and pulled one of the letters out, letting some others fall onto the wet ground.

"Oh right, Flanna must be missing thisss ssso called Finn Mertensss, hehe! Who isss he? Your boyfriend or sssomething? Do you missss your pitiful farm boy, cousin?"

"Give them back." the red-haired girl demanded sternly, her hands were curled into fists instantly.

"Whoa! Was that an order, little lady?" Thomas sneered.

Flanna couldn't stand it anymore; she leaped over her cousins and grabbed the letters struggling frantically to free them from their grasps. The rain kept falling upon them and it eventually caused the papers to be weakened and be easily ripped off during their struggle.

The girl backed away with a despondent look on her face while her only windows back to Junktown and Finn's side floated down towards the drain, carried by the running waters of the street.

"Not ssso rude now, huh Flanna?" her cousin laughed as he ran away "Hey Thomasss, wanna race on our way back to home?"

"Last one is a rotten egg!" his brother replied not really caring about his cousin's condition "You should run too Flanna, otherwise you're gonna be in trouble with your daddy!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

A short man with a red-stripped umbrella ran down the street calling out Flanna's name. When he finally found her, she was sitting on the sidewalk not minding about the chilling rain that was still pushing her head down. This peculiar man was dressed in a blue tuxedo accompanied by a pair of red gloves and a bow tie of the same color on his collar; in fact, he was the Hacksworth's actual butler.

"Miss Flanna!" he gasped at the same time in which he covered her with his umbrella "What in the name of the deities are you doing under the rain?!"

"Waiting…" Flanna whispered "Maybe I will drown…if it rains hard enough."

"Nonsense!" the butler exclaimed forcing a worried smile "C'mon up miss, I haven't seen your father around lately but I bet he'll be really mad if he finds you like this…"

"Who cares…?"

Peter Butler wasn't exactly an expert in children's behavior, but his long years of experience as servant to most of the rich families of the city, and his previous job on Miss Bonnibel's family mansion gave him the confidence to guess that something extremely bad had happened to the young Hacksworth in his arms.

He noticed Flanna's hurt knees and the tears in her tired eyes and proceeded to cradle her tenderly to carry her back to their home. On the way, Peter was able to subtract some information from the girl to understand what had happened to her and try to solve it in a gentle attempt to comfort her.

"Hush, miss… You're far better than those nasty spoiled boys." Butler said as he stroke her wet hair "Don't worry about those lost letters, I'm pretty sure that your friend will keep on writing and while you wait, you can always find a way to remember him through the good memories that he left in your heart so many months ago. You know, those kind of memories won't ever fade if the feelings that they bring you are strong." He smiled.

The girl hopped off his arms and faced him with her own smile "Thanks Pete But."

They walked the last remaining blocks towards Flanna's uncle manor in silence, trying to enjoy the peace that came from each other's company until they bumped with an unexpected scene. The mansion's servants, as well as Francis and Thomas were standing outside with pale-shocked faces and shivering bodies.

Peter Butler left Flanna's side in a huff to ask his fellow companions about the odd situation that was happening right before their eyes and came back to the red-haired girl with a similar expression of fear in his features.

"M-Miss Flanna…" the butler stammered holding her shoulders "Your uncle…is dead!"

At first Flanna was skeptical of what she had just heard, but her mind managed to make a quick recompilation of the pain in everyone's faces –even on her cousins– and made the proper connections needed to confirm that Peter was being serious.

The red-haired girl pushed him away and dashed into the mansion ignoring everyone's warnings. Her feet froze and her hand reached out for her mouth in shock at the dreadful sight before her.

Her father's brother was hanging in the main hall.

* * *

**I'm finally back!  
**

**Sorry if this was a depressing a chapter, especially since I'm supposed to be in a good mood after vacations. Well, the thing is that I had most of this chapter ready before leaving to my vacation trip and who knows what was I thinking back then.**

**Anyway, Glob we're getting closer and closer to the crown's events with each chapter...if only you knew what I have planned for this fic! Hehe.  
**

**I'm really glad you're enjoying this fic and I really appreciate your kind words, thanks a lot guys! :)  
**


	14. Flanna's Drastic Return

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Fourteen: Flanna's Drastic Return**

* * *

_**Two Years Later…**_

* * *

Her hands clutched themselves together while she swung her body back and forth on her heels; her dark mourning garments were starting to maker her feel quite uncomfortable and the silence of her deceased uncle's study was getting her bored.

Flanna flinched quietly at the sudden touch of her father's hand making pressure on her shoulder with its weight. She looked up at his face innocently receiving a disapproving glare from him in return. The red-haired girl stopped balancing her body and stood firm and stern like her father wanted, sighing in resignation when he wasn't looking.

Her green eyes drifted through the room, resting on the many bookshelves that covered the study's walls from time to time as she stared at her cousins' bored faces. They were also wearing black suits and fancy leather shoes in the memory of their father. Flanna shook her head fighting to repel a series of resentful thoughts from her mind, deep inside she felt that they had received a well-deserved punishment, but thinking in that way made her feel like a heartless jerk. She wouldn't allow herself to be as low as Big Destiny and his gang.

An impatient grunt flew out of her throat when Flanna turned her sight back at the old skinny man who was sitting at her uncle's desk. He had been reading and analyzing a bunch of papers and documents in a low voice for two hours while her family listened attentively.

The light of a golden candelabrum flickered on his grim-looking face as he gathered all the paperwork and faced the waiting family around him. Flanna noticed an odd hint of excitement on her father's features after the man announced that he was ready to read her uncle's last will and testament.

"_I Magnus Hacksworth IV, do hereby make, publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. __I declare that I am of legal age to make this Will and of sound mind, and that this last Will and Testament expresses my wishes without undue influence or duress.__"_

Flanna covered her mouth to drown a loud yawn beneath it, getting a burning pinch from her father in consequence. The girl frowned in annoyance rubbing her aching upper-arm while she tried to find any sense in her uncle's complex writing.

"_I therefore, hereby declare that all property, real or personal, tangible or intangible (including saving accounts in any bank), which is registered or held, at the time of my death; shall pass by right of survivorship to my oldest son Francis Hacksworth in co-ownership with his brother Thomas Hacksworth. Though, if he and his brother as well as any other person who shall become entitled to receive property under this Will, is still a minor at the time the distribution is to be made…"_

"Does fourteen counts as minor?" Flanna murmured to herself while she rubbed her half-open eyes.

"Shhh…! Be quiet, will you? You have to be eighteen or older to inherit anything!" Thomas whispered in annoyance "Everybody knows that!"

His younger cousin simply rolled her eyes as she folded her arms.

"…_I authorize my brother, Ignacious Hacksworth V, as my Personal Representative, to receive such property as custodian for such minor…" _

"As you may already know," the old lawyer said after clearing his throat "your dear brother, father and uncle asked for a long-term space of two years in order to give his sons the time to become of sufficient age before his testament was read, in order to give them the chance of becoming the beneficiaries of all his valuable possessions…"

A wave of disappointment seized Francis and Thomas' features knowing that the time given by their father was not enough to let them become adults. His death had been way more premature than he could have expected; a seventeen-year old Francis and a sixteen-year old Thomas wouldn't be able to earn their rights as legal owners of their father's fortune. Everything would pass to their still-unemployed uncle and his annoying daughter.

Thus, the lawyer announced that Mr. Hacksworth was the legal owner of his brother's possessions, leaving a pleased Ignacious, a highly envious Francis and Thomas, and an extremely bored and confused Flanna behind.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Later that night, Flanna woke up violently from one of her strange recurrent nightmares. The red-haired girl panted heavily feeling that she was running out of air at the memory of her odd dream; she saw herself surrounded by a snowy landscape. She tried to move forward but a crystal barrier stopped her from doing so; that same barrier hindered every movement that she'd try to carry out.

Flanna would only feel the cold encasing her body and even her very soul with an icy layer. In a moment, she found herself trapped, her mental illness instantly summoning her biggest fear and impeding her ability to breathe. She couldn't hit the ice, she couldn't scream, she couldn't save herself. She was frozen…

Cold… The intensity of the cold in her dream was so strong and real that Flanna would always wake up shivering and chattering before she choked inside her ice cage.

Flanna embraced herself longing for some warmth to help her calm her nerves down, she hated the cold just as much as being trapped. It was an unbearable sensation for her.

When her hands failed to provide her some kind of heat, Flanna reached out for her blanket and covered her shoulders with it, throwing her body into her fluffy bed. It didn't work. Her muscles wouldn't stop shivering. The red-haired girl then snuggled into her pillow trying to think in something else.

_The summer sun… a lit chimney… Miss Tea Hanks' apple pies_… those were things that would always bring a brief feeling of warmth and happiness into her mind. _Hot cocoa… her red scarf… Finn's bed… _Flanna flushed hiding her face under her blankets. She had only thought about that because of the night in which she sneaked inside Finn's bedroom and yanked him out of bed, asking him for help to stop the Destiny Gang after they attacked Miss Tea and hurt Mr. Gibb.

Flanna remembered that she was exhausted and could barely keep herself on her feet. She had been running the whole night, with the autumn's cold freezing her cheeks and draining her stamina faster than usual. Finn noticed that she was about to faint and stopped her fall offering his bed and covering her body with his blankets, even though she was probably the last person he wanted to see at that moment.

Finn let her rest while he went outside to the cold in search of some useful items for their mission, while she silently enjoyed the warmth that his body had left and blushed at the smell of his scent pervading the blankets as if he was cuddling there with her. Flanna wasn't able to drive him out of her mind while she tried to get some sleep that exhausting night two years ago.

Now she wished that Finn could actually be there with her, providing his warmth to her cold body, helping her feel safe after those terrible nightmares would tore her dreams down almost every night.

Flanna touched her cheeks and noticed that they had turned somewhat hot just by thinking of that farm boy. It was weird how the distance had strengthened her feelings for him instead of diminishing them, the red-haired girl felt a little embarrassed of admitting it so openly to herself, but she wasn't afraid to feel that she was falling for him anymore.

She slowly began to forget about her terrible nightmares as her memories of Finn replaced the pessimist thoughts in her mind. Flanna pulled the drawer beside her bed open, feeling the necessity to re-read one of Finn's letters hoping it to help her fall back asleep.

Flanna hadn't seen him in two years; she hadn't even kept a photo of him, but she had a very clear image of his appearance in her mind. However, the boy had mentioned in one of his letters that he had stopped to cut his hair a long time ago and it now reached his waist.

It didn't matter though; his white bear cap would always keep his blonde hair hidden from the rest of the world, but still, it made Flanna wonder how much could he have changed in two years. He was probably taller now; perhaps all that farm work had bolstered up his muscles and tanned his skin due to countless hours of growing whole grains under the sun.

She felt her cheeks blushing again; the red-haired girl couldn't believe that she was investing so much time in her old rival again. Flanna decided to get up for a glass of water, maybe that would help her ease all those tingling feelings that tickled her stomach like rushing butterflies inside her.

Flanna stepped out of her bedroom into the dark hallway of her new residence, she could have just asked Peter Butler for it but she hated to bother him so late at night after all the hard work that he always does for her. Carefully as a warily mouse, the young Hacksworth made her way into the big kitchen and opened the sink to fill her glass with the precious transparent liquid.

The water was gulped down her thirsty throat in an eager manner, emptying her glass almost instantly. Flanna decided to get a refill; she watched the water splash inside her glass when the silence of the night was suddenly brought down by a couple of grim whispers coming from a nearby room.

Curiosity took the best of her and the red-haired girl forgot about her midnight drink to spy on those strange voices. Flanna reached the room, and noticing that its door was locked, she crouched down and gazed through the small gap between the door and cold ceramic floor.

"Thomas?" the girl whispered after recognizing her cousin's feet because of his always-untied shoelaces and focused all her attention on his conversation with the other person in front of him.

"_I just can't ssstand it, brother!"_ Francis' voice growled _"It wasss all plotted by our pathetic uncle…! I can asssure you that! Our father'sss death wasss no sssuicide…!" _

_"You mean that…"_ Thomas sounded more afraid than furious in comparison to his older brother _"Our father was k-killed… by our uncle?"_

_"But of courssse, fool! Isssn't it obviousss?! What reassson did our father have to commit sssuicide, huh?! Why would he end hisss life ssso recklessly, leaving usss alone?!"_

There was a brief moment of silence before Thomas dared to reply, _"I guess…you're right…"_

"WHAT?!" Flanna yelled not being able to stand more of their horrendous commentaries about her father; her hands covering her mouth in vain shortly after her angry scream.

Francis slammed the door open and locked his furious eyes with Flanna's astonished ones as she got back on her feet. Thomas followed him outside and gasped in surprise noticing the young girl shuddering in anger before him and his brother.

"What are you doing awake, foolish girl?!"

"Isn't it obviousss?! Ssshe wasss meddling into our personal buisnesss, brother!" Francis kept glaring at Flanna "What are you planning to do now, huh? Acussse usss with your murderousss father?!"

"My father is not a murderer!" Flanna assured in Mr. Hacksworth's defense. It wasn't possible for him to do such an atrocious act after all his brother did for him when they lost everything they had because of the Destiny Gang.

"Humph! Of courssse he isn't…" Francis hissed sarcastically "Thisss isss sssurely a profitable sssituation for you, isn't it?! All of a sssuden my father decidesss to kill himself and you two end up getting all hisss fortune!"

Flanna clenched her fists and stepped closer to her cousin in a menacing way "You're insane!" she screamed "You two are just jealous 'cause you aren't old enough to inherit your father's possessions…! T-that doesn't give you the right to blame mine for his death! Your father simply killed himself!"

"SSSHUT UP!" Francis yelled slapping her with his heavy hand "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING DO YOU?!"

Flanna fell onto the cold floor feeling a stinging pain in her cheek. Her hand touched the soon-to-be inflamed spot revealing her sparkling blood staining its palm. She quickly looked back at her furious cousin and noticed him looming towards her.

"Francis, no! That's enough!" his brother cried holding his arm with all his strength giving Flanna some time to runaway from there.

The red-haired girl went towards her father's bedroom seeking for his comfort, but couldn't find him on his bed. She overheard an excited laughter coming out from her uncle's study, Flanna pushed the open door softly and glanced at her drunk father celebrating merrily with a bottle of champagne in his hand.

A tear rolled down her hurt cheek causing its wound to sting her even more as Flanna closed the door and stumbled towards her bedroom thinking why would such an honorable man like him would commit that kind of horrible crimes against his own family. Was it for money, power or a simple human instinct of survival? She couldn't find the answer.

All she knew was that she couldn't stay in that house any longer. Flanna needed to escape towards the only place where she knew she'd finally find some peace, at Finn's side…

**x+x+x+x+x **

"B-but… Miss Flanna… are you sure about this?!" Peter Butler exclaimed in astonishment as the fourteen-year old girl placed a saddle on her father's finest polo horse.

Flanna, who was now wearing the most comfortable travel outfit that she could find in her closet, remained stern and silent for a moment. She mounted the black steed's back and handed her loyal butler a letter.

"You know where Miss Bonnibel's residence is, right?" the girl asked as the cold breeze blew her long russet hair behind her "I want you to send it there, please…"

A weak smile graced her lips as she waved good-bye to the short man beside her and her feet hit her horse's sides causing the magnificent beast to kick the air with its front hooves while releasing a powerful neigh to then disappear along with his red-haired rider in the dark of the night.

Peter Butler sighed in concern wishing her the best…

**x+x+x+x+x **

Finn Mertens dropped his little brother's feeding bottle after listening to his ex-teacher's happy announcement. The sun shined on Miss Bonnibel's golden curls as she repeated the exciting news for him once more.

"It's true Finn…!" the young woman smiled joyfully "It seems that her father let her take some vacations and granted her a few days to stay with us like in the old times!"

The farm boy picked up the bottle without even caring to clean the dirt off it and jammed it inside the baby's mouth –who was crying in his arms while he tried to feed him at his home's front yard, a faint blush painting his cheeks with red.

"I-I can't believe it…" he stuttered in astonishment "Flanna is coming…!"

* * *

**Author Note's:**

I just can't find the words to describe the happiness I'm feeling right now, so I'm going to do this...

_Chuvulam, TheJamJam, Harvest-Mooniac, Guest, StrikerXE, dinoRAWR2919, InfernoLeo9, Foreteller of Three, fioleefan1000, KoalaBear95, The Midget Warrior, Emily, Zanegar, Rose The Unicorn_ and all my other readers... THANK YOU! I'm glad you all are enjoying it! It's just so much fun to write this story that I love to see you are all sharing that same feeling with me.

The next chapter will be posted really soon, I promise!


	15. A Series of Words and a Choose Bruce Man

**As I promised here's the early update, enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Fifteen: A Series of Words and a Choose Bruce Man **

Quick young feet dashed through the market street pushing everyone out of their way as the desperate cries of a man in need interrupted the usual bustle and hustle of the small town. A fearful crowd gathered around the epicenter of the disruption, contemplating in resignation how the new self-proclaimed rulers of Junktown punished a defenseless fellow neighbor.

Trumo and Tremi enjoyed themselves kicking and pocking their victim –a humble fisherman, while this one just fought to cover his face with his forearms in a poor attempt to protect himself from their attacks.

"Are you gonna pay us now, Mr. dude?!" Trumo, the blue-haired member of the Destiny Gang demanded with a chuckle.

"Please…have mercy…" the angler begged faintly "I-I couldn't gather enough money! I have to feed my wife and children, please… I beg you!"

The two ruthless punks shared a look of amusement with each other. Trumo laughed holding his forehead while he let his partner lift the poor fisherman by his collar.

"Look," Tremi said as his finger pointed a luxurious mansion crowning a nearby rocky hill "You see that pretty house? That's Big-D's lair, you know. And Big-D likes to fill it up with nice stuff! But nice stuff ain't free, Mr. dude! You need money to get your hands on it, and that money comes from your dirty pockets, understand?"

"I-I get it but–…" the frightened fisherman replied.

"But?!" Trumo interrupted "You know why you're still in one piece, man?! You know why your family and home are still safe?! 'Cause Big-D has been far too benevolent with you!" he turned around and pointed the crowd, causing the villagers to reel back in fear "With **all **of you! And all he asks for, is for a little monetary contribution… Sadly, if you don't help Big-D, he won't help you…"

Tremi walked closer holding a knife in his hand with a vicious grin on his lips. The poor angler felt shivers running down his spine as the cold metal entered in contact with his neck and his spiky-haired aggressor whispered "And that's when the bad stuff happens, Mr. dude…"

"**You're wrong!" **

Finn Mertens arrived to the scene sliding along the dusty ground to deliver a well-aimed kick on Trumo's ankle. The blue-haired man lost his balance and collapsed losing his grip on the fisherman, who ran away from his attackers without thinking it twice. Tremi searched for the farm boy slashing his knife around in a nervous manner, the swift farmer had just managed to disappear from sight in an instant.

"W-where are YOU!?" the tall thug cried angrily.

"Over here, butt!" Finn yelled.

He was standing behind a group of wooden barrels filled to the top with fruits and fishes. The farm boy pushed them using part of his strength to increase their rolling speed and crushed the two bullies under their weight.

"This **is **where the bad stuff happens!" the young hero claimed in victory.

Tremi and Trumo managed to get back on their feet with much difficulty, snorting and groaning at the sight of their now torn clothes. "This ain't over yet, One-arm!"

"No?" Finn smirked "Hey, Jake! Finish 'em up!"

The two thugs switched their expressions of rage to more terrified ones at the mention of the golden dog's name. A large domestic beast jumped from out of nowhere snarling fiercely as he loomed over the two Destiny Gang members. Trumo and Tremi turned themselves around and dashed away from the furious bulldog crying the word "Retreat!"

"Just wait One-arm!" Trumo shouted "We still have pending businesses with your family as well! We'll be back!"

"Humph…" the blonde boy sighed sternly as he watched how Jake chased them down.

He knew that messing with the Destiny Gang could endanger his family and friends, but on the other hand, he couldn't stand to watch them abuse innocent people. Life was hard at Junktown, why would anyone wish to step in there?

"Hehehe! Well done, Finn _boy_!" a merchant in a purple lute suit laughed gleefully as he abandoned his improvised hiding behind his "Vegetables and Other Curious Objects" stall "You have indeed filled my heart with _joy_!"

"Hi, Choose Bruce…." Mertens replied weakly.

Seeing that the young farmer wasn't in the mood for talking, the funny-looking man began to whistle a made up tune while his eyes observed the dispersing crowd returning to its normal tasks as if nothing bad had happened. That kind of dreadful shows were already an everyday event to deal with for the people of Junktown.

"Umm… hoho…!" Bruce's eyes fell upon a much brighter character, which had just walked inside the market pulling the reins of a black steed behind her as she gazed at the town with a certain look of nostalgia. "Well I see you're not in the _mood_, but perhaps that familiar face over there might blow your sadness away for _good_…!"

Finn leaned his back against Choose Bruce's stall in a lazy manner and raised his face following the merchant's gaze. His heart literally jumped out of his chest when his eyes distinguished a unique shade of red standing out from among the many other dull-colored heads of the passing multitude.

There she was, walking aimlessly like a total foreigner, probably trying to remember each path and alley of her natal town. Finn didn't know how had he managed to recognize her, the Flanna Hacksworth strolling before him wasn't the same messy girl that used to punch him in the nose and usually cause him to endure long boring hours of detention at school.

This one was a city girl, _a high-class_ city girl. Just like Miss Bonibel; her feet had learned to drive her gracefully and swiftly through the dusty roads without tripping clumsily or losing her rhythm. Her back remained straight at all times and her chin was held up high, never looking at the others from below. Impeccable garments covered her delicate skin, accenting a sort of new features in her body that Finn was unable to ignore.

Flanna looked so much smoother and curvy at the same time, that our young hero couldn't help himself from divagating into an unknown place in the back of his mind where the word _"pretty"_ wasn't enough to describe her and was immediately replaced with a new term of his vocabulary, which he never thought he'd ever use on a girl, much less in the once annoying and irritable Flanna Hacksworth; _"attractive."_

"Ahem!" Choose Bruce cleared his throat in an attempt to rescue the fourteen-year old from his own wild teenage thoughts "Are you by any chance checking out that young _lady_? 'Cause you know, that has been considered way too impolite _lately_… hehe!"

"Yeah…I know…" Finn replied not really being aware of his own words "I-I mean! What?! No! It's just that–…! She's just–…! Wow… Definitively not the same…"

Bruce let a hearty guffaw escape from his system as he noticed Finn's face growing redder and redder "What are you waiting for, _boy_? Go to her while you still have some youth time to _enjoy_!"

"Yeah… I will…go to her and– No!" Finn Mertens jumped inside Choose Bruce's selling stall and hid his face within his hands "I can't do it! I can't do it!"

The merchant scratched the short brown hair under his mid-century hat with a remarkable look of confusion on his face. Everybody in Junktown knew how much the young Mertens boy had been waiting for the Hacksworth girl's return, in fact most of the adults were aware of Finn's growing feelings for her (Courtesy of a small conversation that Miss Bonnibel had with Tea Hanks, and the lovely old woman ended up spreading the news around the town) and now that she was just a few inches away from him, Finn simply decided to chicken out and hide between a bunch of vegetable crates.

"Finn, what's _wrong_?" Bruce asked crouching down beside the boy "You have been waiting for her for so _long_…"

"Are you blind, man?! Look at her! She's so… so beautiful…" Finn blushed "She's from the city, look how much she has changed; she's all fancy and…clean and…fancy! Far more educated… She's probably not even interested in me anymore! She came looking for Miss Bonnibel, not for me…!" Mertens' blue eyes drifted slowly towards the ground "Who am I anyway…? Just a poor farm boy…who's not even complete!"

Bruce noticed how the boy stared at his metal arm sorrowfully, how could he think of himself in such a despising way? "Hey… I know exactly what's wrong with your _head!_" he said "You're just confused 'cause you were waiting for a girl and a lady came _instead_!"

Just when Finn was about to deny his statements and excuse himself pathetically once again, Choose Bruce attacked him with a series of rhymes about how he was being a stupid boy for taking unreal thoughts for granted and forgetting about the content of each weekly letter that Flanna had written to him during those two years.

After a series of silent tantrums and arguments, the good merchant had finally convinced the boy about stepping out and speaking to Flanna "Now practice…" Bruce ordered with a happy grin.

"This is stupid…" Finn muttered but obeyed anyway "Ummm… ugh… Hi Flanna, I ummm… well I noticed that– it's been a long time and you… you certainly grew up…a bit…"

Choose Bruce face-palmed himself "'Flanna you've _grown_'? Well that's the lamest compliment I've _known!_" he laughed "You know what? For get it. Here take a _flower_…!" Bruce pushed Finn out of his stall; completely against the boy's will, forcing him as well to hold a white rose on his flesh hand "Now go ahead! Hehe! And good luck, _tiger_!"

Mertens tried to turn around and return to his hiding behind Choose Bruce's stall, however, the man had made himself sure of pushing the boy as far from his improvised store as possible, and now if he tried to run or something Flanna would surely notice him.

Flanna… Finn tightened his grip on the rose that Bruce had given him (not really realizing that he had actually crushed its petals) as he walked towards her, multiple uneasy thoughts gathering in his mind.

By the time he got close enough Flanna had centered her curious attention on a lumber stall and then gazed upon Big Destiny's lair, probably wondering who was its owner. She didn't notice Finn getting closer until he dared to call her.

"F-Flanna…?" the farm boy said feeling the heat engulf his body, it was almost like a burning sensation produced by fear, embarrassment and excitement… all because of her troubling presence standing so close to him.

The red-haired girl turned around nervously, unsure if the voice calling her was real. Their eyes met. Flanna recognized him immediately, not because of the bear cap or the mechanic arm but because of the concerned look on his face, the same one that he had given her every time she showed signs of pain along their dangerous quest to stop the Destiny Gang's plans.

Finn felt even more nervous when he realized that none of them had reacted. The awkwardness of the moment made him want to turn his sight away, however the boy found it impossible to unlock his eyes from hers. He had waited for so long to see them again, even though there were tears clouding the soothing green of her irises. _Why were there tears on them?_ The young farmer wondered as he raised the crumpled rose at the level of his chest not knowing how to greet her.

Perhaps a simple "Hi, what's up?" would have been better than offering her a flower with one or two petals left, but there really wasn't a need to do any of those things, for Flanna suddenly seemed to have left all her manners and sense of decorum in the city, by simply charging towards him and invading his personal space with a tight embrace.

The boy would have never expected that, Bruce was right. Maybe Flanna hadn't changed on the inside despite how much her appearance actually did. There was no reason to be afraid now that he knew that she was still his friend. He slowly gave himself permission to relax and surround her body with his arms –making himself sure that it was his human arm the one entering in contact with her skin.

They kept themselves from sharing a word between each other, fearing that the interruption of the silence around them would ruin the bewitching sensations growing within their bodies –just by enjoying the softness of their faces being buried into each other's neck. A silent "I missed you" became tangible between the two.

Wishing to finally greet her with something fairly comparable to a hug, Finn slowly pulled away from Flanna. Driven by his instincts, the teenager found himself holding her chin with his real hand, delicately guiding her lips towards his.

Sadly for the young hero, a fat mass of golden fur fired itself over the girl and knocked her down, achieving his owner's goal before him. The bulldog licked Flanna's face expressing how much he had missed her as well, while she giggled joyfully, glad to see the now full-grown dog that she had met as a puppy.

An embarrassed look on Finn's face combined with a sudden burst of annoyance that he had never felt towards his furry buddy before, erased the many confusing sensations that the red-haired girl had just caused on him. And of course, those repressed feelings had to be immediately exteriorized in one strong word.

"JAKE!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I guess that was kinda a lot of fluff, but we have passed through a lot of dark chapters already and, inevitably there are more dark chapters coming, so I guess it's only fair for the characters x)

See ya soon on chapter sixteen!


	16. Junktown

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Sixteen: Junktown**

Miss Teana Hanks folded the fancy-looking garments that the red-haired girl had tossed onto the old apple farmer's bed, after getting them off her body in order to get herself dressed in something more appropriated to move around the country. Miss Hanks had happened to bump into Finn, Flanna, and Jake while they were walking away from the market. After greeting them with great enthusiasm, Tea Hanks gladly suggested to take the Hacksworth girl back into the market and do some shopping with her.

Although Flanna was a little embarrassed about it, the nice elderly woman bought her a radiant tank top dress —nothing too really expensive or superb. In fact she couldn't remember the last time in which she had worn something as simple as that humble orange dress. Not that any of those details really mattered though, Flanna was delighted with her new dress. She had eagerly run out of the store to stamp it on Finn's face and show him how much she had liked it while Tea Hanks happily paid for it.

The old baker sighed after finishing her work with the young girl's former clothes and stared at her, wondering what was she supposed to do with them. "Flanna, dear... Do you want me to pack these up and send them to Miss Bonnie? Since you will be staying with her, I think that it would be easier to take them there, instead of having you carrying them around the whole day."

"Nah, you can keep 'em!" Flanna said as she adjusted the crossed shoulder straps of her new outfit on her back. "I'm sure that you'd get some money for them at the market!"

"Some money?! Dear, these clothes would probably make me the richest woman in all of Junktown!" Miss Tea exclaimed in awe.

"Great, they're yours!" Flanna replied as she stared at herself in the mirror "Oh! And you can keep my shoes as well! I've waited a long time to feel the freshness of the grass beneath my bare feet, I won't ever use those things again."

"Goodness help me! Are you serious, dear?!" the old lady was on the verge of fainting.

"Yep!" The red-haired girl finished working on the upper part of her dress and proceeded to stretch her skirt down so that it would cover her knees a little. "How do I look?" she asked with a grin.

Miss Teana smiled softly at her as she walked to her side. "Well, I think that we should let the gentlemen give you the answer, but before that, let me take care of your hair…" she pulled a brush out of one of her drawers and instructed Flanna to sit down on her bed. "You can't go running around with those long locks covering your face, can you? I'm sure it'd be terribly annoying!"

And so, with a great motherly care that Flanna hadn't felt in years, Miss Tea Hanks gladly began to brush the long strands of fiery-like hair that rested upon the girl's naked shoulders. The old lady fixed Flanna's hair into a hung down pony tail, which she later braided onto her head so that it would let her back uncovered. Once that was done, Miss Tea Hanks pulled out a pair of thick locks from the girl's forehead and let them fall freely on both sides of her face.

"There you go… look at the mirror and tell me what you think!" the apple lover said sweetly before she could notice some silent sobs that were coming from the young girl beside her "Oh, what is it? You don't like it?"

"I-I love it…it's just that…mom…" Flanna sobbed, rubbing her forearm against her watery eyes.

Miss Tea Hanks didn't need to hear more to understand what kind of thoughts were crossing the poor girl's mind in that moment. She tenderly pulled Flanna into her arms and tried to comfort her, hoping that a creamy slice of apple pie and the company of the Mertens boy would help her drive away the hurtful memories of the long gone Mrs. Hacksworth.

"Hush…hush…how are ya feelin' now?"

"Better, I think…"

"Should we let Mr. Gibb and Finn see your new look now?" Tea Hanks suggested.

Flanna seemed to display some enthusiasm after listening to the old lady and grinned. "Yeah. Let's go!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn's face flushed while he fought to avoid dropping his jaw in amazement. Before his wide-opened eyes the simplicity of Flanna's new dress had only intensified the brightness of her physical beauty, leaving the poor boy stunned with just a simple glance.

"What are ya waiting for, lad?" Mr. Gibb exclaimed impatiently, giving a strong push to Finn's back, which caused him to stumble towards Flanna. "Tell her all those things that you were telling me earlier!"

"T-things? What things?!" Finn mumbled, trying to escape from that embarrassing situation.

The pig breeder rolled his eyes and said. "You know, the things that you were saying while we were waiting at the living room! You said that she was bright, that she was beautiful…and that she made you feel confused; like you couldn't breathe— And I don't know what other sorts of sappy stuff were you going say after that!" Mr. Gibb scratched his head. "Perhaps you were going to say that she was hot or something–..."

"OKAY…! We have to go!" Finn interrupted as he pulled Flanna out of Miss Tea Hanks' house. "Thanks for everything! We'll never forget it! See ya! Good-bye!"

"But Finn… I thought we were going to stay for lunch!" the girl protested.

"Woof!" Jake barked, following them out.

"Jake's right, what about the pies?" Flanna complained with a smirk.

"Later!" the blonde boy replied, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I have work to do, you know!"

The farm boy dragged Flanna away from Tea Hanks' apple farm, leading her towards his house while he tried to come up with more made-up excuses that would keep her from protesting again. As they got closer to the Mertens' property, the small trio distinguished the sound of flying pans, pots and dishes, a baby's crying, and a furious Mrs. Mertens who was yelling to her husband.

"Oh no… it's that time of the year again…" Finn whispered, covering his face in embarrassment.

"That time of the year?" Flanna asked with a puzzled look. "Finn, what's wrong with your parents?"

"Nothing. Every year dad locks himself up with one of the bottles of apple cider that Miss Tea Hanks gives to every family during the holidays. He drinks the whole night, then he wakes up at midday with a hangover, and then mom yells at him for not taking care of his morning chores…"

"Oh my…" the girl said in concern as they approached Finn's house.

"And what else did you do today besides spending the whole night drinking like the peasant you are?!" Mrs. Mertens yelled furiously as she chased an annoyed Mr. Mertens, who just wanted to cover his face from the blinding sun. "You gotta milk the cow! Collect the eggs from the chicken coop! And sweep the barn! 'Cause I'm not doing it for you, ya hear me?!"

The blonde woman returned to her baby's side at the front porch and yelled one last order before slamming the door. "And you better get everything done before I serve dinner, otherwise you'll sleep with the mule tonight!"

"Ugh…impatient woman…" Mr. Mertens muttered after taking a seat under a nearby tree's shade. He noticed Finn and Flanna watching the whole scene from afar, then he quickly sent his son to do his job by pointing the barn with his thumb, and then the old farmer fell asleep.

"Right…" Finn sighed in resignation. "And I always end up doing the hard work…"

"I can help if you want." Flanna suggested, shrugging her shoulders happily.

"A city girl like you?" the blonde boy grinned mischievously. "I don't know… Maybe you won't be able to handle it!"

"You think so?" the red-haired girl growled in annoyance, letting her fist clear any possible doubts that Finn might have about her capacities as it punched his arm.

"Auw…! Hey you, that hurt a lot! Dang it…!" the boy moaned, rubbing his throbbing limb.

"Yeah… I was missing that too…" Flanna chuckled as in the old days.

**x+x+x+x+x**

After having some fun time trying to teach Flanna how to milk a cow, (not that milking the cow had been as funny as watching the city gal trying figure out from where did the milk come from, and laughing at her shocked reaction afterwards) the two teenagers walked inside the chicken coop, holding a couple of baskets to start gathering the eggs.

"So Flanna, where's the horse that was following you at the market this morning?" Finn suddenly asked.

"I gave it to Mr. Gibb, he was needing it more than I did…" Flanna answered.

"Boy, are you trying to get rid of all the things that came with you from the city?" he inquired, feeling somewhat confused. Flanna had done the same thing with her fancy riding suit just hours ago.

The red-haired girl was reluctant about answering that question and turned her sight away from Finn. She stretched her hand towards another nest, and just when her fingers grazed one of the many eggs that were lying in there, a crack appeared on it. Flanna drew her hand back in surprise, noticing that tiny yellow creatures were popping out of their shells like popcorn grains.

"Look! Finn look! The little chickens are being born!" the girl cried in excitement, causing the farm boy to laugh in amusement.

"Chickens are not born, Flanna!" he chuckled, grabbing one of the little birds on his hand to show it to her. "Chickens hatch!"

"And how the heck was I supposed to know that?" the girl frowned, folding her arms in resignation.

After working for awhile; Finn, Jake and Flanna decided to sit down so that they could take a small break while they played with the newborn chickens. There were about twelve or fourteen birdies, and all of them were chirping happily over Finn and Flanna's lap.

"Woof! Woof!" the golden bulldog barked, trying to make the chickens play with him.

"C'mon, go chase that chubby dog! He needs some exercise!" Flanna said, pushing the tiny creatures down. However, they immediately jumped back onto her lap. "Hey, why won't they go away?"

"That's because we were the first thing that they saw when they hatched, and now they think we're their mom and dad." Finn faced her and grinned, "We are parents now!"

"We…?" the girl blushed.

"Yeah—oh boy… What did I just say?" the farm boy flushed, feeling embarrassed as well.

"Bouw?" Jake stared at the two confused teenagers, tilting his head.

**x+x+x+x+x**

By the time that they had finished helping Mr. Mertens with the farm work, dusk had already fallen upon the fields. Finn turned his eyes towards the sky and smiled at the shinning stars as they lit a brilliant idea in his brain.

"Come," he said, taking Flanna's hand in his. "I want to show you something cool!"

The boy led her to the old oak tree that they both had used once to climb towards his window. However, this time Finn encouraged Flanna to climb higher, letting them reach the rooftop. Once up there, the farm boy extended his arm towards Flanna, helping her to get her feet off the tree and reach the wooden housetop instead. The two teenagers walked away from the edge, taking care that none of them would lose their balance and have a terrible accident. Then Finn decided to make a sudden stop at a specific spot and asked Flanna to sit beside him, pulling her hand down.

"What's so cool about your roof, Mertens?" the red-haired girl inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing really…" Finn answered confidently. "It just provides a mathematical view of the summer night sky!"

Flanna raised her gaze towards the sparkling skies in awe. "Wow… How could I forget about this?" she whispered in awe.

"Aren't there any stars at the city?"

"Dunno… Back there I'd never dare to climb roofs or stare out of my window..." she rolled her green eyes down, ignoring the stars, which had suddenly become too insignificant for her as she sighed bitterly. Why did Finn have to remind her about the city every time?

"Ummm… Did I say something bad?" Finn asked nervously.

"No, it's nothing…" she replied coldly, causing Finn to feel even more uneasy.

Flanna shut her eyes tightly, fighting to keep all her memories of the city out of her mind. She had lived the worst moments of her life there, felling depressed and alone all the time. The only things that would manage to draw a smile on her dull features were her blurry memories of Junktown and Finn's letters. Now that she was finally back in that haven, all Flanna wanted was to keep herself away from everything related to the city and enjoy Finn's company for as long as she could.

"Hey, I…" the red-haired girl whispered, looking back at him. Flanna noticed the distress that she had just caused Finn without really wanting to. Perhaps she could try something to repair the damage. "Hey, Finn…!"

Finn turned back at her, expecting to get an angry glare or a punch on his arm again, but what he saw was definitively something that he would have never expected. His cheeks flushed for the fifth time in the day. Flanna was untying her long beautiful hair while her green eyes stared into his blue ones shyly. The next thing he felt were her fingers, pulling his flesh hand towards her.

"F-Flanna?!"

"I just…" her faced blushed. "I want you to stroke my hair…"

"Huh?" Finn was completely stunned and confused. He could only feel his face getting hotter and hotter. "M-me?"

"Yeah, who else? Jake?" Flanna replied quietly. "Don't you remember what you told me once? About how much you liked my hair, and how you used to pull it in class just to feel it in your hands because you would've never dared to ask me for it?" she laid his hand on her head. "Go on, I really need to feel some comfort now…please…"

The boy gulped in embarrassment, everything she had said was true, but he was feeling too shy to do it. However, he had felt the sadness in her voice, how could he deny her anything when she had spoken to him so sweetly? Finn pushed himself closer to her and began to run his fingers down her long red hair, while Flanna stared at him with a grateful smile. The sensation was pleasant for both; Flanna relaxed, closing her eyes while Finn did the same. His hand kept roaming up and down her russet locks without imagining that a distracted stroke would lead him to graze her cheek. His blue eyes were suddenly opened back to reality, feeling how Flanna winced away from his touch.

"Don't worry this is just a small wound that hasn't healed yet, it wasn't you…" the girl smiled nervously, trying to get him back to her hair, but Finn freed his hand from hers and held her cheek to examine the wound —the one that her cousin had caused her just a night ago.

"Why are you always getting hurt, Flanna…?" the farm boy asked worriedly, knowing by the look in Flanna's eyes that her injury wasn't caused by accident.

"C'mon Finn, we both know that it has always been like this for me…" the girl sighed in exhaustion. "_'Flanna Hacksworth can't step out of her house without getting hurt.'_ Isn't that what everyone used to say? It's probably just a stupid curse that I was born with. Forget about it, okay?" she pleaded.

"But…" Finn's concern kept growing while the distance between his and Flanna's face diminished. "That's so unfair... Someone should be there to protect you and defend you… Someone should watch over you…and take care of your wounds… Someone should always be there to heal them…"

Flanna stared into his deep blue eyes, searching for an answer within them. "Would you be that someone… for me?"

"Yeah…" Finn replied, the distance between them vanishing completely. "Whatevs…"

Their lips met, letting their owners taste the sweetness of the long-repressed affection that they had held towards each other since they first met. Soon, the farm boy discovered how annoying noses could be as his bumped against her's awkwardly, while they tried to focus on savoring each other's humid touch. The evident lack of experience on the two young lovers didn't last any longer. It was Flanna the one who helped it vanish away, holding Finn's cheeks as she tilted her head, allowing him to merge deeper into her —his old childhood rival—, seeking to linger through that precious moment for as long as he could. Who would have thought that kissing the Hacksworth girl could be something so beautiful?

She had never been his dream, he used to despise her. But now, now he wanted her more than ever. Perhaps they had always been meant for each other, perhaps he had always loved her... Just that he never got to express himself right. Now was his chance to show Flanna how strong his feelings for her were. This and many other confusing thoughts led them to continue exploring new ways to please each other for what seemed to be a sweet passionate eternity. It was when Finn's lungs began to beg for air, that he was forced to move away from Flanna, trying to be as gentle as possible, as he gave an end to their first real kiss, letting the red-haired girl feel loved and wanted afterwards.

Losing the warmth of his face buried into hers, Flanna quickly took cover from the cold of the night on Finn's chest, a swarm of jolting sensations striking them both. The breeze caused their sweating bodies to shudder, and their muffled gasps for air filled the ever-lasting silence that had fallen upon them. Only after the crickets had begun to play their song in the dead of the night, the red-haired girl finally dared to speak.

"I wish I could stay with you forever… I won't be able to stand it when my father realizes that I'm not there and comes to get me…"

"What d-do you mean?" Finn mumbled in astonishment. "Flanna…! Did you runaway from the city?! W-why would you do that?"

"Because…!" her anger melted away. "I don't really want to talk about that, okay? Just promise me that we'll enjoy the time that we have left together…"

Mertens was reluctant; there wasn't much that he could do about Flanna's troubling situation, but to embrace her and keep his promise of watching over her. "Don't worry, I will…" the farm boy promised.

And so, after discovering what a kiss truly was, Finn and Flanna let themselves share another one, lying beneath the starry skies of Junktown...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This is where the crown events officially start. That doesn't mean that Finn will open the next chapter freezing everyone, but the plot will start to develop with the appearance of a certain half demon character. Oh Glob, I just realized that we're getting closer to the end! Thank you all for your continued support and helpful advice, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well as the others.

See you in the next one!

* * *

_**Update: Grammar checked and corrected.**_


	17. Marceline

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Seventeen: Marceline**

The silence of that peaceful summer night was only accompanied by the constant chirping of distant crickets and the occasional neigh of horses, sleeping in the red barn beside them. After such an (both physically and emotionally) exhausting day, it was only natural for the two cuddled teenagers on the rooftop to have fallen asleep.

His metallic arm remained firm, holding the weight of the two bodies leaning on it while his flesh arm surrounded the girl's waist, granting her the warmth and softness that only human beings can provide. Finn had found one more reason to be proud of his unnatural arm; it was resistant and immune to pain. With it he would be able to defend Flanna from any harm, while with his still human arm would always be there to offer her tenderness and care whenever she'd need it.

Finn would have wished to keep lingering in that moment until dawn, to be finally able of holding her while she was completely defenseless was something that he had never even dreamed of. Yet there she was, relying completely on him while her fierce nature remained dormant and an inoffensive, almost angelic gesture flourished on her sleeping features.

A loud howl echoed from below, followed by insistent barking and scratching on the walls. Jake wagged his tail in excitement while he waited for Finn to come down. When the boy didn't show up, the dog left his comfortable sitting position and went to bark and howl even louder in an attempt to get his owner's attention. His impatience was understandable. Jake was hungry.

More desperate barks and moans came from the hungry bulldog, but the young farmer (despite the fact that he could clearly listen to his noisy racket) just snuggled deeper into Flanna's hair, seeking to ignore Jake's howling. It didn't take long before the dog's yapping caused a baby's crying to echo inside the Mertens' house.

"Finn!" shouted a voice that the besotted lad couldn't pass over "You'd better get that dog quiet in this instant, I'm trying to get your brother to sleep!"

"Ugh…" Finn moaned lazily as he rose from his comfortable position "Geez…"

Of course, the girl in his arms wasn't able to keep drifting in her sleep anymore just as well as him, and rose from his embrace with a soft yawn "What's up with all that noise…?"

"It's just my little sib…and Jake." The boy lend Flanna his flesh hand to help her get up "I gotta feed him and… Oh dang! I almost forgot about dad!"

Finn ran to the roof's edge and crouched down to glance at his father who was still sleeping under the tree. The boy slowly shoved his hand in his pants' pocket and pulled out an old slingshot. The red-haired girl noticed this with curiosity and leaned beside him with a clear look of confusion in her face.

"What are ya doing with that toy?" she asked.

"This ain't no toy!" Finn replied while he aimed at the old farmer's head and shot a small bullet with great precision "Hehe! There's no nobler weapon in the world!"

"What was that for?" Flanna inquired, watching how a very annoyed Mr. Mertens walked into his house.

"Mom will get mad if she finds out that dad has been sleeping this whole time."

"Ohhh…" the girl nodded after getting the idea "Can I give it a try?"

"Sure!"

Finn gladly handed her the slingshot, and with great enthusiasm began to teach her the basics; such as aiming with the hand that holds the slingshot instead of the one that holds the ammunition leather pouch, and the importance of a proper firing stance (because everyone knows what is it to get your own hand hit by a rock) He then instructed her to aim at a crystal bottle, which was left over the fence and encouraged her to shoot it down.

Flanna did as said closing her left eye and letting the tip of her tongue slip out of the corner of her mouth –due to a total state of concentration. She stretched the rubber band, held her aim for a moment and released her grip on the leather pouch, causing the small projectile to knock down its target with great accuracy.

"That was AWESOME!" Finn exclaimed in excitement "Alright, alright, now shoot…that brown owl on that tree!"

"Finn, I don't really feel like shooting an owl, you know?" she laughed.

Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully in search of a better target, forgetting about his hungry dog once again.

"Finn!" his mother yelled "Hurry up, your brother needs to sleep!"

"You know, Finn…it's getting kinda late, I really should get going."

The farm boy turned to stare at her in disappointment, he still didn't want her to go, but she insisted in leaving and reminded him that Miss Bonnibel was waiting for her. The two teenagers descended carefully, climbing down the oak tree on Finn's window and faced each other one last time before parting ways.

"Are you sure about leaving on your own?" Finn asked worriedly.

"It's fine, Finn. I know the way."

"Yeah, but… I don't really mind to take you there after feeding Jake." He gave her a concerned a smile "It could be dangerous…"

"And wouldn't your way back be dangerous as well?" A shy grin was curved on Flanna's lips "I'll be here tomorrow in the morning, we can hang out around the town…you know…like on a date."

"A date! I mean…yeah, why not?" Finn leaned in with a blush covering his face and kissed the wound on her cheek "Just…be careful, okay?"

The familiar reddish glow was also spread across the girl's features shortly after Finn stepped backwards to stare back at her. Her hand flew nervously between their bodies in an attempt to break the awkwardness of the moment and tried to give Finn his slingshot back.

"Keep it." The farm boy said "It might help you on the road, you know, to scare wild dogs and stuff."

"Thank you, Finn." Flanna paused for a moment "For everything…" she bit her lip nervously "And don't you dare forget it…! You'd better be here tomorrow when I come to meet ya, okay?"

Finn walked towards a nearby tree, which was facing the farm's barn and sat down on one of its bulging roots.

"I'll be waiting for you right here the whole morning if I have to, I swear!"

"Finn!" Mrs. Mertens shouted again "What did I told you about letting mules sleep on my bed?!"

"Oh, geez! Bar-Bar!" the boy cried frantically.

Flanna smiled in amusement and sprinted out of the Mertens' property, nothing could go wrong now that Finn was by her side. Nothing…

**x+x+x+x+x**

The red-haired girl ran swiftly through the meadows. The tiny rocks and sticks of the grassy path that she had taken were not a significant nuisance for her bare feet, which just kept increasing their speed as several thick black clouds loomed over the moon, drowning its soothing glow with darkness.

Fear? Why would she be tempted to believe that she was afraid? Pure nonsense. Flanna went into the woods and lost herself within the trees. The speed of her feet was slowed down due to the multiple obstacles that were suddenly sprouting out in the middle of the night. Fallen trees, hollow stumps and thorn bushes got in her way, causing Flanna to trip and meet the ground repeatedly.

"There's no use…!" she growled as she dusted off the dirt from her skirt.

A faint warm light glowed in the distance; it was a bonfire in the dead of the night. Flanna supposed that it was probably just a shepherd guarding his flock and decided walk in his direction, hoping that he'd share some of his fire with her so that she could continue making her way towards Miss Bonnibel's house.

But as soon as she got closer, Flanna distinguished a mixture of familiar guffaws surrounding the flickering flames and immediately hid behind some bushes to take a better glance of the four men before her.

"Destiny Gang…" she hissed in disgust.

Big Destiny wasn't with them, they were just his henchmen, laughing and talking about the poor victims that they had assaulted that day. Flanna decided to ignore them. She saw no use in messing with them by herself, much less in the darkness. The red-haired would simply surround them through the woods and forget about them for the rest of the road.

That was until the surname "Mertens" was pronounced by one of those freaks. Now Flanna couldn't just walk away and ignore them anymore, the sake of Finn's family was way too significant for her as well as her own life.

"Humph…" Trumo growled while he rubbed his rear end "That kiddo and his yellow beast…! My buttocks are gonna hurt like…for the entire week!"

"What are you crying for, Trumo?!" said Tremi "At least you didn't get bitten on the front lines, like me!"

Tromo and Trami shared an amused glance between each other and then laughed to the top of their lungs.

"Heh… you guys are the Destiny Gang's greatest shame!" Trami chuckled while he leaned on his giant hammer "You're always getting your buns kicked by that One-arm runt!"

"Hum…yeah, but that's about to change!" Tromo smirked "His father still owes us our money. Tomorrow first thing in the morning, we'll get him and force him to pay Big Destiny…! And if he refuses well…"

"We beat him up!" Trumo exclaimed.

"Aye, WE'LL BEAT HIM UP…!" the whole gang replied in laughter.

Flanna stepped back in shock _"I gotta warn Finn!",_ her heart cried as she turned around, ready to make her way back towards the Mertens' farm. But luck wasn't on her side this time; her poor vision caused her to break a dried branch while she was running. It's creaking alerted the Destiny Gang of her presence.

"Huh? What was that?! Who's there?!" Tromo yelled lighting the woods with a torch.

The red-haired girl escaped from the light hiding herself behind a tree and shoved out Finn's slingshot from her dress' pocket. She used a nut from the ground as ammunition and shot it to the opposite side in an attempt to fool them.

"Silence guys, I think I heard something behind us!" Tremi cried after biting the bait. "Follow me!"

"Heh…! Fools!" Flanna whispered while she sprinted towards Finn's home.

She quickly crossed the woods letting the low branches whip her face and tear her dress without regret; there was no time to worry about such things now. Her green eyes spotted the light of the Mertens' widows. Flanna was about to leave to the woods behind when a sudden strike tackled her down.

The girl hit ground with a thud and struggled to get up, but a knee was quickly buried on her stomach to impede her from doing so.

"Do you think I'm as stupid as the others, Firefly?" Tromo's face appeared before her with a cocky smirk.

Flanna refused to reply; instead she focused on trying to get ahold of a small rock to shoot it on his face, her fingers barely grazing the coldness of its hard surface.

"Huh? Who the heck are you taking me for?!" the black-haired man muttered, slapping the rock out of her reach "Some donk?!" he literally spat that on her face.

"Actually…" Hacksworth replied confidently while she pulled the empty leather pouch back "YEAH!" she released her grip on the pouch, striking Tromo's nose with the slingshot's rubber band.

"NOT IN THE NOSE!" the thug cried rubbing his face with both hands.

Flanna immediately took advantage of the situation to kick Tromo off her and sprint back into the woods. She couldn't run towards Finn now, the fields were an open space, and now that the rest of the gang had heard Tromo's screech; they would all be on her heels. No, she needed to find a place to hide. She needed to lose them.

Her eyes analyzed her surroundings and found an odd rock formation in the distance. Flanna thought of covering herself behind it, but as soon as she jumped over it her feet reached no ground, causing her to slide into the depths of the earth and crash against the cold soil.

Flanna quickly leaned onto the rocky wall, clutching her throat in a desperate attempt to control her claustrophobic reaction due to the narrowness of the area. The girl closed her eyes, listened and waited…

"_Quick this way…!" "She couldn't have gotten far, c'mon! Move yer feet!" _

"_Where the heck are you, Firefly?! It's been years…!" _Tromo's voice chuckled _"I'm sure that Big-D will be really pleased to see ya now…! C'mon show your pretty freckled face…!" _

Flanna held her breath for what seemed to be an eternity, until the Destiny Gang's voices finally vanished in the distance. She opened her eyes and fell onto her knees gasping desperately for some air. If only she had let Finn come with her…

Her gaze drifted upwards seeking for a way out of that crack in the ground. Unless her arms stopped shivering, there was no way for Flanna to climb all the way up. There had to be another way.

A soft breeze caused her hair to tickle her nose, making Flanna look towards its source and realize that there was actually a path before her. She slowly got back on her feet as she mustered all the courage that was left within her. Flanna didn't know where would that path take her, it could lead her into an even more enclosed area or worst. The memories of her experience inside her father's mine were still as fresh in her mind as they were on Finn's flesh…

"Finn…" the red-haired girl whispered. She had promised to be back in the morning so that they could go on their first date together. "I have to get out of here…no matter what!"

Ignoring the vivid phobic sensation that was devouring her on the inside, Flanna decided to advance into the unknown, risking everything she had left just to return to Finn's side.

**x+x+x+x+x**

A dim light in the distance arose from within the darkness to guide Flanna's path, causing her to let some grateful tears leak out from her eyes. The red-haired girl soon discovered that the source of that light was a small forgotten candle, which was left on top of a small wooden table. The question was, what was that kind of stuff doing inside an underground cave?

Of course, it was impossible for Flanna to answer that. She could only wander through the small hallway, noticing that its walls and floor were almost hidden beneath all sorts of antiquities; such as furniture, books and objects of great value.

"Heh… is this like some kind of buried treasure?" the girl wondered not really paying much attention to where she was going and ended up bumping against a drawer.

Flanna fell on the ground and a dusty book fell on her head afterwards. With a little bit of annoyance, the girl grabbed the odd book and blew the dust off its cover.

"Huh?" Flanna blinked in curiosity while she analyzed its title "Ench–… Endri–… _Enchiridion_?"

Hacksworth flipped the pages at great speed while she took a quick glance of the strange illustrations and texts within its dozen withered pages. When she finally reached the back of the book, Flanna noticed that someone had attached a few more pages onto it. Curiosity took the best of her and the red-haired began to read them silently.

"_Though this might sound quite absurd, it has been until now that I have realized that the visions and the vicious whispers will never stop… Not even if I take the crown off my head…_

_I curse the day in which I came across this wicked object –the crown…the crown is evil, and its evil has now corrupted my very soul… _

_I should have never accepted it… I should have never put it on my head…_

_You must never wear it, Marceline… You must never let __**anyone**__ wear it…_

_I trust you, Marceline…"_

"Marceline?" Flanna whispered.

"How the hell did you get inside here?!" an old woman's voice gasped in horror.

Flanna quickly closed the book and got back on her feet to face the stranger. Her entire skin was pale and wrinkled; a brown tattered coat covered her short chubby body and a small hat crowned her long black-haired head. The Hacksworth girl stepped back in fear, noticing a couple of weird features on that woman's face; large pointy ears and a pair of glimmering fangs that were stuck out of her upper lips.

Though that old woman's appearance was mostly shocking, Flanna didn't react with astonishment until she spotted the small basket that was clutched within her claws. Inside it, there were nothing but eggs.

"The Egg Thief…!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I'm so crazy that I forgot to put an _Author's Note_ on this chapter, especially since I was supposed to answer some questions to _coldblue. _Glob where's my head these days?

Okay so for _coldblue:_

_-_There's probably gonna be a time skip after the bomb explodes, maybe not exactly after it does but there has to be one.

-I don't think he's gonna get a better arm in the future since there's not gonna be someone to give him one, and I don't really think he'll be able to create one, unless he uses his ice powers to shield it or something.

I'm following the events of the actual show so if Finn discarded Choose Bruce's sword there, he's going to do it here as well.

I'm glad you're enjoying the story and thank you and all my other readers for supporting this fic. =D

See ya!


	18. Mrs Mertens

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Eighteen: Mrs. Mertens**

After locking Bartram in the barn and feeding a very hungry Jake, Finn Mertens left towards his house with a merry pace. Inside his father and his mother were getting ready to enjoy a well-deserved supper (well, Mr. Mertens doesn't exactly deserved it). The farm boy approached the table while he whistled a happy made up tune, which caused his mother to arch an eyebrow in curiosity.

The blonde woman curved a smile on her lips and wondered what could have made her boy so joyful in one simple midsummer night while he took a sit at the table with them. Finn stared thoughtfully at his tomato soup for a moment and then grabbed his spoon to take small single sip from it. An unexpected question left his lips afterwards.

"Say dad, do you remember yours and mom's first date?"

Mr. Mertens was about to swallow when the query hit his eardrums. He lost his grip on his spoon, which caused a messy splash after falling into his soup. The mid-aged man then gave his son an uncomfortable glare while he tried to clean his overalls with a napkin. Seeing that the red stain wasn't going anywhere, Mr. Mertens rolled his eyes in exasperation and left towards the sink, leaving a very confused Finn behind.

"Geez, what's up with the old man, mom?" the boy asked.

Mrs. Mertens chuckled softly after finishing her soup and smiled at him "Don't worry, he's just too shy to think about those times."

"Oh…" Finn scratched his head "And what about you, mom? Do you remember your first date with dad?"

The blonde woman looked startled for a second "Do I?" she blushed faintly while her hands picked up the dishes from the table "How wouldn't I?"

Mr. Mertens had already left towards his bedroom when Finn and his mother walked into the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes together. Mrs. Mertens would always clean them while her son dried them and placed them on the cupboard where they belonged.

"It was a complete disaster, I tell you!" the blonde woman laughed as she scrubbed and rinsed the soup bowls "We were going to enjoy a tranquil picnic afternoon in the flowered meadows, you know, where Mr. Danny's horse ranch is located nowadays."

Finn nodded in understanding.

"Everything was working just fine until a bunch of storm clouds gathered in the sky and rained mercilessly upon us. The worst of all was that your father had 'apparently' forgotten about bringing an umbrella or at least a raincoat with him, and we had to take shelter beneath a nearby tree. The rain and the cold struck us hard, forcing us to hold each other in attempt to remain warm."

"So, you two didn't enjoy it at all?" the farm boy inquired in concern.

"Well, actually…" his mother grinned with another blush painting her cheeks "We ended up cuddling lovingly underneath that old tree, and after the rain ceased, the remaining water drops that were falling from its leaves and the soothing mist that covered the meadow afterwards, made the scenery quite romantic…"

"Then your father stared into my eyes and said: 'I must be the luckiest guy in the world!' I asked him why and guess what he said!"

"What?" Finn replied in amusement.

Mrs. Mertens crossed her arms and faked an annoyed look "He said: 'Cause a rainstorm ruined our picnic, just as I had planned it!' Can you believe it, Finn? Your father knew about the whole thing since the beginning, it wasn't just mere casualty that we had ended up snuggling beneath that tree!"

"Awww, that's cute!" her son laughed jokingly.

Once they were done with the dishes, Mrs. Mertens accompanied Finn into his bedroom and stayed to tuck him into his warm blankets after he had gotten his pajamas on. Jake hopped onto the bed subsequently and curled up right beside his owner while the blonde woman leaned down to blow the room's candlelight out.

"Wait mom!" Finn cried before the light could be extinguished "Can I ask you one last thing before you go to bed?"

"Yeah, what is it, son?"

"H-how did you and dad meet each other?"

"Oh, so you want another story, huh?" Mrs. Mertens said while she took a seat on Finn's bed "Well you see… when we were both sixteen, your father and I weren't even acquainted. I did know that he was always stalking me 'cause he was way too shy to face me, and even more to talk to me. I must admit that I used to consider him the biggest weirdo in all of Junktown, but that was until–" she trailed off as a feeling of gratefulness struck her heart.

"Until what, mom?"

Mrs. Mertens sighed, "There was a river crosscutting the shortest path between my home and school. It wasn't an easy task to get across it by feet, but I didn't have any other option back then. My skirt and shoes would always get caked with mud, and my classmates would always make fun of me because of it."

"Then one day, your father (who was stalking me as usual) decided to reach that river before I did, and once he had arrived there, he began to roll down boulders and carry heavy stones with his bare hands so that I could hop them across the water and reach the other side without getting myself wet. Your father's intention was to do it in secret, but I discovered him whining and weeping behind a bush after one of those rocks squashed his fingers."

"Hehe, and then what happened?" Finn inquired eagerly.

"I of course, sat down with him and treated his injured hands... That's how everything began, the rest is history I guess…"

"Whoa…! Now tell me about your first kiss!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.

"What? No!" his mother reeled back in amusement "It's getting late and besides, what's up with you being so curious about this kind of romantic stuff all of a sudden?!"

Now it was Finn's turn to look down and blush. Where to begin? The boy had no idea of how he would explain his mother about Flanna. It wasn't that there was something wrong with that, but it was certainly an embarrassing subject to share with one's own mother.

"I well…Today I ugh…" Finn mumbled nervously "Kissed a beautiful girl…"

Mrs. Mertens received the news with a tender smile. She got up from Finn's bed, wishing to hear everything about that lovely event in a more comfortable seat, and pulled a nearby chair towards her son excitedly.

"So," she chuckled "Who's gonna be my future daughter-in-law? Joanna Miller, Hanna Jackson, Mary Adams…?" his mother said as she listed the few names of the town's girls that she could remember, not really realizing that most of them had already left because of the Destiny Gang and the misery that had struck Junktown in recent times.

The farm boy turned his gaze towards the window, probably trying to track the messy red-haired girl in the distance, and sighed dreamily "Flanna Hacksworth…"

Mrs. Mertens was in the process of sitting when she heard Finn's wishful response. Flanna's name produced some sort of startling impression in her, causing the blonde woman to miss the chair and hit the wooden floor with her rear end, shortly after gasping "Who?!"

"Mom! Are you alright?!" Finn cried leaping out of his blankets to aid her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mrs. Mertens whispered to calm him down "These old buns can still cushion my clumsy falls, you know…"

No, there was nothing wrong about the Hacksworth girl. It was just somewhat hard for Mrs. Mertens to believe that her son was actually getting along with that red-haired gal after so many years of conflict between each other. She could still remember every apology call that she had to give to Mr. Hacksworth after Finn had gotten into a fight with his daughter –and that used to happen very often.

People say that there's a thin line between love and hate, Mrs. Mertens never understood what that phrase meant as clearly as she did now. After all, what else could explain Finn's sudden joyful behavior and curiosity for her own love life?

"You mischievous rascal, why didn't you tell me that Flanna Hacksworth was back in town, huh?" she laughed while her hand messed Finn's hair "Were you trying to keep her all for yourself?"

"No! What the heck, mom?!" her son replied in annoyance.

Mrs. Mertens rolled her eyes and suggested Finn to go back into his bed and get some sleep. She excused herself saying that she was exhausted; she kissed his forehead and blew out the light before leaving the room.

"Hey mom!" Finn called. The blonde woman stopped her pace before she could cross the door and turned back at him curiously. "I love you mom, you and dad are the best..."

"We love you too, son…" she whispered sweetly in response and closed his bedroom's door softly.

Mrs. Mertens' features changed drastically shortly after she descended the staircase and met her husband at the living room. "Darling, did you know that Flanna Hacksworth is staying right here, at Junktown?"

Mr. Mertens nodded not really getting the point of his wife's sudden state of disconcertment.

"Well, haven't you read the news? Mr. Hacksworth was convicted to ten years of prison for murdering his own brother and trying to disguise it as an act of suicide…" the blonde woman sat beside her husband with a sorrowful look in her eyes "It seems that nobody really cared about his daughter's condition right after he was thrown into jail, except for a loyal servant of the family. Nobody noticed that she had left the residence except for him…"

Mr. Mertens replied her with a grieving glance, he didn't like was listening to…

"The authorities are not searching for her, so that means that not even her own family is interested in her well-being…" his wife paused for a moment "Do you think that… Flanna Hacksworth came here seeking for shelter?" Mrs. Mertens whispered in concern "Shouldn't we… take care of her?"

**x+x+x+x+x**

The red-haired girl and the strange old woman exchanged defiant glares as they both tried to survey their situation in the calmest way possible. Flanna's green eyes kept glancing back at the egg's in the old woman's basket every now and then, until she noticed that her pale wrinkled hand had shoved one of them into her mouth with a sudden movement.

"W-what are you planning to do with those eggs, huh?!" Flanna demanded an explanation in a harsh way "They aren't yours! Did you know that Finn's family was forced to sell their mule Cecile two months ago, because of you?!"

The old woman remained stoic as she listened to the intruder in front of her, the egg was still being held inside her mouth. Then, not really caring about her manners at all, the grim-looking woman suddenly crunched the egg with her fangs and then spat its shell at Flanna's feet.

"Ewww! Wait, you can't eat those eggs!" Hacksworth yelled in disgust "At least not like that!"

"Why not?!" the old woman questioned with an intimidating tone.

"B-because… because they hatch!" Flanna defended nervously "That's why!"

"Heh! Do you think that a thousand-year old demon like me would listen to a pathetic human girl like you?"

Flanna's eyes widened in astonishment "D-demon, you said?"

"Well, half demon but that's beyond the–AH!" the fanged woman spotted the antique book in Flanna's hands "That book! Where did you get that book?! Give it back in this instant!"

"Not until you hand those eggs first!" the red-haired girl challenged.

"Fool! You don't understand anything, do you? That's Simon's most important discovery and I'm its guardian! I'm the guardian of everything inside this stinky tunnel and it's my duty to keep it all –including that frigging book, away from foolish mortals…LIKE YOU!"

The half demon pulled a strange gun out of the blue and aimed it at Flanna's chest.

"Whoa! Careful there!" Flanna gulped making some steps backward "Fine, you want this 'Enchir–whatever book'? Then I'll give it to you…"

"Heh, it was about time!" the old woman grinned "Good for you!"

"If you… can… CATCH IT!"

Flanna tossed the book into the half demon's arms causing her to throw the eggs into the air. The red-haired girl ducked the old woman and snatched the basket in mid-air, running towards a faint light that was shining at the end of the tunnel as fast she could.

"Come back here, you goblin! That's my nourishment, dang it!"

The old woman chased Flanna through a dark hallway; the young girl turned her head back for a moment to check on her pursuer and failed to notice a flight of steps just ahead of her. Flanna tripped with the stairs and rolled along the dirt until she crashed with a wall, which was completely covered with roots. Her green eyes were opened slowly and then she saw a thin ray of moonlight passing through a tiny hole above her. It wasn't the kind of hole that she was expecting. There was no way out.

"Ugh! What have you done?!" the half demon growled angrily "You scattered Simon's bones all over the place!"

"I…what?" Flanna murmured wearily.

With a soft moan, the red-haired girl managed to sit up. She was still holding the egg basket, and miraculously they didn't even have a single scratch on them. Flanna shook her head to clear her aching temple from all the confused thoughts in her mind and laid her gaze on a gigantic bomb, which was frozen upon a broken skeleton. She noticed with bewilderment that the skull still kept some of its white hair and beard. Small round broken glasses were still lying over its empty eye sockets, and a shiny golden crown with three gleaming rubies rested on top of its head.

"The crown…?" Hacksworth whispered in astonishment as she remembered the notes on the back of the Echiridion. "Wait… Are you… are you Marceline?"

"Who wants to know?!" the half demon woman replied as she loomed over Flanna still aiming at her with her gun "Did you read the book?! That's what you did, didn't you?! Are you after the crown's magic?!"

"There's no magic in this world…"

"Yes there IS magic!" Marceline assured, the gun was now being aimed directly at Flanna's forehead "Powerful Dark Magic! I know that's why you're here… but you won't get to posses it 'cause your time in this miserable planet ends NOW!"

The red-haired girl reacted just time, kicking the gun upwards to direct the powerful laser beam towards the tiny hole above her. The laser destroyed the wall, opening a larger hole and causing some rocks and dirt to collapse over Flanna and Marceline, who had lost her weapon after the girl's sudden attack.

"No! My gun!" the half demon shrieked as a heavy boulder plunged down and crushed it "Argh! It better not be broken now, you hear me!?"

Flanna ignored her, all she wanted was to climb and jump through the new opening in the ground as soon as she got the chance to do it.

"Fool! You could have destroyed the entire world with that reckless stunt you just pulled out, did ya hear me?! The bomb could have–! Oh, come back here! I still have to kill you!" Marceline fell onto her butt and sighed in resignation "Ugh…my knees…"

Hacksworth leaped out of the ground, losing her left shoulder strap in the process. She didn't know where she was going or what was she doing; her feet were only focused on running. Nothing more.

Drove by fear and her own recklessness, Flanna met her destiny at an unsuspected cliff, which was waiting for her within the darkness. She fell but her hands managed to save her just in time from a fatal fall.

The red-haired girl clung onto the cold sharp rock with every last ounce of her fading strength. She could feel how the skin of her bare palms was being slowly torn open, her leaking blood making it even harder to hold on to the edge. Flanna wanted to scream for help, but that meant attracting the attention of either the Destiny Gang or that half demon psycho.

"No…" she sobbed "T-this can end like this, can it? Finn… you said would protect me… I know you will. You will catch me…just like the last time…"

"_Flanna, how the heck did ya get up there?!" a six-year old Finn shouted in annoyance._

_A young Flanna Hacksworth of the same age was weeping desperately as she tried to keep herself over a small tree's branch._

"_I climbed, you donk!" the girl replied between sobs._

"_Get down here, dump-head! Miss Bonnie is going to get mad if you fall and break your leg! W-why would you even climb that tree in the fist place?!"_

"_This is all your stupid fault! Why did you have to chase me with that ugly frog?!"_

"_My fault?! Is not my fault that you're so coward, who's afraid of a dead toad anyway?! Get down here, fool!"_

"_I am and I can't! I'm stuck!" young Flanna cried._

"_Then let yourself go! I'll catch you!" Finn yelled as he stretched his arms upwards._

"_No! I don't trust you! You will let me hit the ground!"_

"_I won't, I swear! Just let yourself go! Let yourself go, Flanna!"_

"Should I… just let myself go like back then?"

"_Fine! I will do it!" _

_The small girl released her grip on the thin branch and landed on top of the young Mertens boy._

"_You see, I got ya!" Finn yelled "And now your heavy butt is crushing me, get off me!"_

"_That's what you get for chasing me around with a dead toad, you idiot!"_

Flanna felt her hands slipping from the rocky edge "You'll catch me, won't you Finn?" she chuckled wearily "I know you will… just like the last time…"

She let herself plunge into the darkness while the wind carried her ripped shoulder strap aimlessly. The torn piece of orange fabric got stuck on a hollow tree's branch near the farming fields…

**x+x+x+x+x**

The next morning, right after letting Bartram wander freely around the farm, Finn ran towards the tree where he had promised to wait for Flanna so that they could leave on their date together. He sat on one of the tree's bulging roots and Jake gladly ran to his side to wait beside him.

The minutes slowly turned into hours and there was still no sign of the messy red-haired girl. Finn began to feel impatient. "_She's just a little bit late" _he thought,_ "She'll be here soon!" _The boy heard Jake yawning lazily; the golden bulldog was bored, and soon he was snoring right at his owner's feet.

"I know!" Finn said as he rummaged through the contents of his backpack "I'll make Flanna a nice song with my flute! Maybe she'll think I'm sweet, like mom did when dad took her on their first date!"

The boy began to blow into his wooden flute; his random and clumsy notes easily woke Jake from his slumber, the dog heard the odd music and instantly joined the messy melody with his howling.

"Finn!" his mother called all of a sudden, silencing the boy's music "Finn… Will you come hear, please? Hurry, it's **very **important!"

Finn frowned faintly feeling a hint of disdain in his mother's voice "Coming Mom!" he looked back at his furry friend "Man, she seems steamed! Guess I've don donked somethin' up yet again... Come on Jake…."

The two got back on their feet and paws, and rushed towards their home... dashing to attend Mrs. Mertens' call.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I'm just so happy that so many people is enjoying this fic! I hope this chapter was as good as the others! =D

For _coldblue_'s question

Sorry, but I can't answer that. You know, spoilers! Oh, and I might consider to let Finn keep Choose Bruce's sword after he becomes the Ice Prince xD

See ya!


	19. The Crown

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Nineteen: The Crown**

Even though there was cold all around her, she could still feel the burning stings of her wounds and bruises. No one would have expected her to survive, not even herself. Yet, if she could still hear the sound of worried voices gathering around her numb body and the comforting hum of the stream that had carried her out of the woods, then that must mean something… Right?

Drown within a world of darkness; waiting for a stroke of reality to bring her back to life, the girl felt that she wasn't alone anymore. She was being held in a gentle and tender embrace. It made her feel safe and think of a long lost loved one, a woman with russet hair just like hers…

"Mom…?" Flanna found herself whispering with a barely audible voice.

As her vision sharpened, Hacksworth realized that the woman before her wasn't her mother. It wasn't hard for her to match that gentle lady's blonde hair with Finn's. The one who was holding her, was Mrs. Mertens.

"I'm sorry…I thought…" the red-haired girl apologized wearily with an embarrassed blush, which gave some color to her pale cheeks.

"Hush, it's okay…" Finn's mother smiled "I don't really mind to be called like that. You were lucky we found you…the cold would've killed you if our mule hadn't perceived your scent, Miss Hacksworth."

Flanna switched into a sit up position, causing Mrs. Mertens to stop embracing her. The girl rubbed her green eyes as she stared with fear and bewilderment at the once peaceful blue skies of Junktown. Dark greyish clouds blinded the sun; towers of black smoke were still rising from the market, which was now nothing but ashes, and a green spectral explosion of howling ghouls stood menacingly in the horizon. Were they living some kind of nightmare?

The red-haired girl lowered her gaze and studied her surroundings, fearing that probably everyone she had once known was already dead. Thankfully, her presentiment was wrong. She saw Choose Bruce, Mr. Mertens and Mr. Gibb sitting by a small fire, which they were using to keep themselves warm from the odd midsummer winter that was slowly raining upon the burnt town. Miss Tea Hanks wasn't very far from them, she was sitting near the fire while she rocked Finn's little sibling in her arms.

Flanna noticed with surprise that in a distant corner, resting against the debris of a fruit stall, were the four men that had caused her nothing but pain and sorrow since she first met them two years ago. Tromo, Trami, Trumo and Tremi were covering their shivering bodies with old torn blankets as their teeth chattered unstoppably and their running noses sneezed crazily every now and then, while Archie and Mr. Trupp Blake watched over them, holding their rifles in a firm position, just in case they'd need them.

"Please… call me Flanna." The girl replied humbly.

Mrs. Mertens nodded with a soft grin "Very well."

"Flanna!" Miss Bonnibel arrived in a hurry, holding a bucket with water in her hands. The young teacher left the water aside and knelt to hug Flanna, who was still too confused to understand what was going on. "Flanna, dear! Thank goodness you're alive! I don't know what would I've–"

"Miss Bonnie what…what happened here?"

Bonnibel pulled away from the girl in her arms with a look of concern "Flanna… last night when you didn't show up, I started to believe that something bad had happened to you… I thought of the worst with the Destiny Gang wandering around, so I called Archie and Mr. Blake to help me search for you…"

"We couldn't find you…" Mr. Trupp Blake replied in the distance "So the next morning, Miss Bonnibel went to…" he looked away in distress "She went straight towards…"

"Towards us." Mrs. Mertens finished sternly "She found my husband and asked him about you…He told her that we believed that you had arrived safely to her place, but since you didn't, my husband immediately returned home to alert Finn… There he was ambushed by the Destiny Gang…"

"I called Finn and asked him to sell the mule, so that we could pay to those thugs" the blonde woman continued sending a glare to the four sneezing men in the corner "But then…"

"But then that freak came into the market with a golden crown!" Tromo explained in an attempt to defend himself from everyone's hatred "I just asked him to handle it to me politely, man, all I wanted was to see if it was my style…"

"And that's why you tossed it to Big-D?!" Tremi interjected "You guys pissed Big-D off!" he yelled pointing Tromo and Trami with his index finger "And then the boss pissed the One-arm weirdo off as well! You guys are responsible for this mess!"

"Say that again idiot!" Tromo replied raising his fist.

"You guys pissed the whole world off!"

"That's it! Now you've done it!" Trami shouted as he leaped over his teammates, causing the four of them to start punching each other.

Mr. Trupp Blake gave Archie a puzzled look "Shouldn't we…ummm…stop them?"

"Nah…!" the old grave keeper replied, "With enough luck, they might end up killing each other!"

Seeing that she wasn't going to get more information from the distracted townspeople, Flanna turned to Mrs. Mertens in search of more answers, but the poor woman's mind wasn't focused on their current situation either. She was just sitting on the ground with her tired watery eyes locked in the horizon.

"The D-Gang set it all on _fire_…" Choose Bruce's saddened voice echoed in response to the red-haired girl's silent distress "And Finn confronted them, even if it was like walking on a high _wire_…"

"They…they set Junktown on fire?" Flanna mumbled not being able to believe in the crying merchant.

"Yes, did they that and more…" Mrs. Mertens stared back at Flanna with a dreadful look in her eyes "They trapped us inside our own house and let the fire run wild… The flames consumed everything we had, even our hopes in the future… As I listened to my baby cry, I noticed Finn coming on his mule in company of a weird old lady and his dog…"

"Finn… Where is Finn?" Hacksworth inquired with angst in her voice "What happened to him…?"

"I-I don't know, I just remember… a golden crown…" Finn's mother reached out for her temple as she forced her memories to come afloat "He put it on…and everything he used to be just…disappeared. The look in his eyes became so cold; it was an insane icy stare that will haunt me forever…!"

* * *

"_W-what on earth did this?!"_

"_I did this..!" Finn claimed with pride._

"_No, that's not possible… I raised you better than that!"_

"_I-it's true!" the boy replied before letting out a series of delirious guffaws._

"_Haha…haha… hahaha!"_

* * *

"Finn…oh my Finn…" Mrs. Mertens sobbed covering her face with her hands "I can barely remember anything…first we were trapped in the fire and then Finn struck us with… _an ice blast?_ Everything went dark and then the world was utterly destroyed…we noticed greenish flames flickering in the grey wasteland that used to be our home…our life…"

"How come something like this happened?" Miss Bonnibel muttered clenching her teeth "What destroyed the land?!"

"Finn said…" the farm boy's mother whispered "Something about him…setting off a bomb…"

Flanna was barely conscious, but after listening to those words she instantly struggled to stand up and stumble towards the deserted fields if she needed to. She never imagined that something like this could happen, it was real. Everything about the crown was real…and the bomb. A bomb had just exploded; it was a miracle that the few villagers around her were still alive.

"F-Flanna what'd you think you're doing?!" her ex-school teacher shrieked in desperation "You're not in condition to walk, you still need to rest!"

"No…" the girl whispered "You don't understand… everything is true…the crown… I must get to Finn's side before it consumes his soul! I gotta save him!"

"Flanna Hacksworth, sit down in this instant!" Bonnibel cried "Can't you see it's too dangerous?!"

"Bartram…" Flanna said as her hand caressed the mule's nose gently, a piece of orange fabric was being held between his teeth "That's from my dress… heh, so that's how you found me…"

"Right! I saw that mule climbing a tree while were leaving towards the market, did you see it Trumo?" the spiky-haired man chuckled as he lied on the ground, beaten up by his other thug fellows.

"Shut up, Tremi…"

"It won't be hard for you to find him, right?" the russet-haired girl smiled and climbed over Bartram's back with a small hop "Hurry, take me to Finn! He needs us!"

"Flanna…!" her teacher shouted in one last attempt to keep her safe.

"Let her go…" Mrs. Mertens whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder "Finn reacted to his brother's crying…at least for a moment… Perhaps Flanna might be able to bring him back…"

"Bring him back?" Bonnibel asked intrigued "Back from where…?"

"From 'Weirdo-Land'!" Tromo yelled remember his last encounter with the Mertens kid.

"Yeah man, I lost my shoe…!" Trami added as if anyone cared "Oh and we left the boss behind…"

"Mrs. Mertens what's going on?" Miss Bonnibel demanded sternly.

"I believe it has something to do with…with that crown…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Flanna raced through the dark wasteland with the help of the brown mule; she could clearly remember the written words in the back pages of the Enchiridion. It wasn't just mere casualty that she had ended up meeting that insane old woman, Marceline. Fate must have had something to do with their situation, perhaps she was meant to save Finn just like he saved her in the past.

"_The crown…the crown is evil, and its evil has now corrupted my very soul…"_

"_You must never wear it, Marceline… You must never let __**anyone**__ wear it…"_

Bartram released a powerful bray after the girl on his back kicked his sides in an attempt to raise his running speed up. Finding Finn as soon as she could was now everything for her; even if she felt like fainting in any second, even if her open wounds and bones hurt like hell, even the cold was driving her mad. Finn would do the same for her… Flanna would never doubt about it.

"Whoa! Hold it there, you!" a nearby voice shouted causing Flanna to pull Bartram's ears and force him to stop his running abruptly.

The mule fell onto the frozen ground along with his rider, the red-haired girl shivered and moaned with anger as she struggled to get up once again.

"Who said that?!" she screamed furiously "Why did you stop us?!"

"I was just trying to save your life… Firefly…"

Encased within an ice mound, with his legs and hands completely immobilized, lied the leader of the Destiny Gang. He grinned cockily despite his poor condition, but he didn't speak with the same energy and brute strength that his words always used to carry whenever he confronted his victims.

"You…" Flanna hissed with hatred. Her shaky hand got ahold of a rock, which she wasn't going to hesitate in using on him "This is all YOUR fault!" she yelled as she loomed over him.

"Heh….yeah… Come to Big Destiny while he's defenseless, kill me now and get your revenge. Heal the wound I caused you, Firefly…what are you waiting for?"

Hacksworth raised the rock over his head menacingly "You and your gang ruined this town! You ruined my father and drove him to evil! It was because of you that I almost died last night!" Angry tears leaked out from her exhausted eyes "Because of you, Finn was forced to get that dammed crown! Because of you Finn is in grave danger! I-I should just kill ya now!"

She tightened her grip on the rock and struck it with all her might against Big Destiny. However, the rock didn't hit his head as the stylish thug had expected. It just hit the ice encasing his frozen body, breaking it apart and setting him free.

"W-why…?" Big-D stammered after landing on the ground.

"Because… I'm sick of being surrounded by evil all the time…" Flanna replied dully "I don't wanna become part of it…"

She tossed the rock away and continued her way towards the threatening column of green mutagen gases, rising before her in the form of doomed ghosts.

"Hold on, Firefly!" Big Destiny cried, "There's a Big Ugly Monster! You go there, you die! It-it's not worth the crown!"

Flanna stopped her limping pace and turned around to face him, still leaning weakly on Bartram's side "I don't care about the stupid crown…! I'm going after someone I love… I'm going to save Finn… I need him…"

"You say…you love that weird one-armed fella…?" the orange-haired man chuckled in amusement "Heh! Then I'm coming with ya!"

"Why?" the girl asked harshly.

"Because when an even worst enemy appears, bad guys must rise against him and taste the flavor of the heroic side…!" Big-D crossed his arms and turned his gaze away "It's just an instinct of survival, okay?!"

An odd compassionate smile was drawn on Flanna's face after listening to Big Destiny "Call it whatever you want… I'm still glad to fight with you on my side…"

"Humph! Yeah! Hehe…!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Dear Glob, I made a lot of mistakes in the last chapter, didn't I? But thanks for pointing them out, I'll think on a way to fix 'em if you consider it necessary.

I hope this chapter was better than the last one, geez now you made nervous... xD

But I also want to thank you guys, those are the kind of things that help me to keep an eye on the small details. And well, thanks again for the constructive criticism. Feel free to complain if needed to make this story more enjoyable! :)


	20. Lich

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twenty: Lich**

Finn backed away, dragging his trembling legs along the wreckage that once was his family's farm. Possessed by fear and uncertainly, the boy found it hard to think straight, especially because of the constant whispers haunting his weak young mind. Mertens heard himself whimper like a baby, his powers had failed him twice against the demonic beast that was now looming upon him, once again.

His friend and loyal pet, Jake had been bathed in the mutagenic goo that the frozen bomb left after exploding. It gave him monstrous powers, turning the dog into a raging demon, whose only lustful desire was to consume the life of all living beings. Shortly after the beast's rise, the farm boy didn't have to think it twice in order to use his newly gained ice powers to protect his life and his crown.

An ice blast was launched against the horned-monster, freezing its mighty claws and muscles in no time. Sadly, it only took Jake a few seconds to expand his body outwards and break himself loose from the hardened ice. A powerful roar followed said action, pervading Finn's surroundings with a dreadful stench. The now wizard boy covered his nose with his flesh arm and summoned a sharp ice lightning with his robotic one in the hopes of slashing the beast's head off.

His attack was easily avoided by the frightening creature, who simply received an irritating scratch on his left upper arm. Beholding the immeasurable strength of his enemy, Finn collapsed onto his knees knowing that there was nothing else for him to do, his powers of ice and snow had been defeated.

The young wizard remained terrified on the ground to face the personification of evil itself, while he awaited for his inevitably doom, alone…

"Yo, gigantic evil…ugh…thing! Prepare yourself! Here comes BIG DESTINY!"

The outlandish-like human plunged towards Jake's skull from out of nowhere, his hands quickly got ahold of one of his horns, causing the monster to lean and fall onto the ground, spreading several fissures on its surface due to the impact.

"You have just been knocked down by Big-D!" the cocky human declared, "Now go cry on your mommy's skirt, beast!"

With silent growls and the sound of his sharp claws digging wide trails on the earth, the dog-hybrid rose menacingly, shading the little light on Big Destiny's field of vision with the large shadow of his massive body.

"Dang it…" the leader of the D-gang cursed, "Why am I always wearing shades?" he took his funky glasses off and stared at them, ignoring how Jake's horrid breath began to blow his long orange hair in every possible direction "Oh yeah, style…"

Those were the last words that Big Destiny could pronounce before the yellow beast's knuckles smashed him into the air. "Ugn…ya better hurry, Firefly!" he shouted as his body flew across the darkened greenish skies "This guy's not just any stupid villager!"

Flanna jogged from behind of a giant ice shatter, her eyes locked on the towering monster that once was Finn's joyful golden puppy. Jake leaned his torso backwards, unleashing a deafening battle cry while his fists pounded his chest fiercely. He was getting ready to charge over Big Destiny, hopefully giving her some time to grab Finn's hand and drag him out of the danger zone.

The girl shook her head in an attempt to stop herself from watching the terrifying beast and focus on her real target, the Mertens boy. A faint smile graced her lips as the distance between her and Finn diminished, he looked exhausted but he seemed to be okay, and that was the only thing that mattered for her.

"Finn! C'mon, let's go while he's distracted!" she encouraged him pulling his sleeve.

The farm boy's head remained hung down and unresponsive, causing Flanna to kneel by his side with concern. Wishing to have a better glance of his face, the girl reached out for his chin, then she held his face on her hand and stared straight into his eyes.

They looked cold and distant; some locks of his blonde hair had streamed out of his bear hat, making him look even messier than he already was. Flanna noticed that his skin was growing paler, almost getting a bluish hue. She realized that his stare wasn't the only thing cold on him, as she held his face gently Flanna felt a freezing sensation running down her spine. Finn was frozen, but he looked normal…How come?

"Finn, are you okay? Finn?!" the boy didn't react, but she wasn't going to give up "Finn, it's me Flanna! Can't you listen to what I say?!"

A gleeful smile on his face showed how much had his mind digressed from their present time "Flanna? Flanna!" Finn said in excitement "She's back! Flanna is back!"

"Yeah, I am" she replied oblivious to his mental state "Now let's go to–!"

"See Jake, I told you she was just a little bit late!" the boy exclaimed as he turned to glance at the ragging demon "I knew she'd come…"

"Finn?" Flanna whispered in confusion. She placed her hand on his cheek once more and forced him to look back at her "What do you mean 'she'd come'? I'm right in front of you!"

"Jake got mad because he thought that Flanna would never make it in time, but now that she's back we can have our date! Everything will be fine now…everything will be…" Finn trailed off as his eyes rolled towards the ground.

"Finn?!" the red-haired girl called him back from his trance in a terrified manner.

"I was worried 'caused she left alone, you know? Heh…the silly girl, she thinks she's stronger than she really is… But that doesn't matter. Flanna is back now and when I see her, I'll play her song on my flute!" Finn eyed her again "I won't let her leave alone ever again…this time I will protect her, and mom will be proud of me…Yeah…when I see her…"

"But I'm righ –…"

Flanna gave up on insisting, it was useless. Finn was far too gone; the crown took him faster than expected. She heard Big Destiny begging her to hurry up and the merciless roars of the yellow demon beast in the distance. It pained her to deceive Finn by taking advantage of his condition, but she had to take him away from there as fast as possible.

"You will see her," she said, tears clouding her eyes "I can take you to her, I just need you to give me your hand…"

The red-haired girl flinched at the frozen touch of his mechanic hand. Finn had never used that arm with her; it was cold and tactless…too uncaring for her. Whenever he'd touch Flanna, Finn always used to make himself sure of using his human hand. He would have never dared to miss a chance of feeling her skin on his… _What if someday they couldn't touch each other anymore?_ That was the risk that the old Finn would have never taken, but this Finn wasn't even aware of whom she was.

"What are ya waitin' for? Hurry, before I forget Flanna's song!" Finn muttered impatiently "I'm kinda forgetting everything pretty fast lately…"

"Right, sorry… Flanna is waiting for you over here! Hurry, follow me!"

They ran across the bleak landscape for a few miles until Finn decided to make a sudden stop.

"Wait, we're forgetting about Jake!" he shouted.

Flanna turned to him with a look of bewilderment "Jake?! Forget about him, he's gone!" she clenched her jaw "H-he ran away or something…!"

"No, he didn't." Finn replied with a shrilling voice while he faced the beast solemnly "The whispers… they say that we should call him for what he really is…an undead being…a Lich…"

"W-what are you…?" the red-haired girl let Finn's hand go when she noticed that he was staring at her with one eye. It gave her goose bumps, her lips quivered; she never thought that she'd ever be afraid of Finn.

"You lied to me, didn't you?!" the crowned boy shrieked "You weren't taking me to Flanna! You just want to fool me! The crown…! The power of the crown…that is what you seek, isn't?!"

"No…" Flanna denied backing away from him in a cautious manner, her breath leaving her lips in the form of small puffs. The cold was getting intense "No, you're wrong, Finn!"

"There's…No….Finn…!" he cried summoning icy gusts around him "The secrets of the ice and snow were bestowed upon me! I am the chosen one! I am the only savior left in this miserable planet, and I will protect it with the power of FROST!"

Finn made a sudden turn and unleashed his wild freezing fury against the incoming attack of the Lich. Flanna fell back in astonishment; she hadn't seen the giant horned-skull coming behind them. Thankfully Finn did, or was it the crown?

The ice crept over the monster's body, but it was certain that being frozen wasn't going to stop him for long. The red-haired was paralyzed, in both fear and awe. She couldn't move a muscle, not even to run away from the deathly beast that was only a few inches away from her.

"What are ya waiting for?!" Big Destiny's voice echoed as he got closer to the scene "Run for your life!"

Seeing that Flanna was unable to react, the orange-haired man dashed through the Lich's frozen hind legs, ducked the young ice wizard, and managed to grab her in his arms just before the ice on Jake's body exploded in a rain of sharp crystals.

Big-D managed to save his and Flanna's life just by mere luck, a large curved piece of steel lying not too far from them was ultimately turned into their only shield from the colossal showdown between the undead beast and the newly-made ice wizard, which had just been restarted.

"Oh fudge! Can't you feel that burning sensation all over your body?!" Big Destiny exclaimed as he examined the piece of steel closely "This thing was part of the bomb! We must be completely irritated by now!"

"Irradiated…" Flanna corrected coldly.

"Whatever, it's bad news anyway!" he fixed his eyes on her "And what the heck was up with you out there? Why didn't ya run or somethin', Firefly?!"

"I…" Finn's icy stare flashed through her mind "I was just…Finn…he…he's not the same anymore, I was late for him…"

The anger and disappointment of Big Destiny's face faded away "Oh…"

"My father was right…" Flanna clutched her knees close to her chest and sighed with grief "'What a foolish girl' he said, 'building castles in the air…the higher you take them, the faster they crumble…' Heh, what was I even thinking?" she chuckled "That I could just run away from everything, go back to Junktown, find Finn, marry him and live happily ever after?"

The red-haired girl giggled faintly "Guess I did… And dad was right, I'm a fool…" she sighed, "My life is just a bunch of junk…!"

"Hey, careful there!" Big-D scowled "You don't really want to believe all that messed up stuff you just said, right? 'Cause I know everything about being foolish, Big Destiny is in fact the biggest fool in the world! –And you, Flanna, are not even half as foolish as I was! So stop talking garbage and go save the world or somethin'!"

"What do you mean 'was'?" Flanna asked intrigued "W-wait a minute, did you just call me by my name?!"

"Big-D does whatever he wants, and if he wants to call red-haired girl Flanna 'cause he likes the name, the heck he'll do it!"

"I think that bump on your head is starting to affect your brain…"

"Leave Big-D's brain outta this, what I'm saying is true!" the apparently not-so-ruthless-thug protested "You remember what I said two years ago when I last saw you…?"

_"You know Firefly…" Big Destiny whispered stopping his pace, his face never turning back to glance at her "I kinda wish I had been as brave as you when I was your age…" he shrugged "Just saying…"_

"Oh yeah…poor young Albert had it tough when he was just a kiddo…" the orange-haired man sighed "He used to do those things that you mentioned earlier…castles in the air…and when they crumbled he simply gave up and did what the others wanted him to do, until they turned him into a fool…"

Big Destiny took off his shades and showed Flanna the first sincere smile he had ever shown to someone in years "You see, thanks to the frigging beating that Mr. Ugly-face gave me back there, I've finally realized that there's a big difference between a brave dude and foolish dude! They may look alike, and you might even believe that you're the brave dude until life kicks your butt and you realize that you've been the foolish dude since the beginning…"

"That's what happened to you, …Albert?" Flanna inquired while raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh…that might be a good example, yes… But we're not talking about me–I mean, Albert! We're talking about you, Flanna, and you are not a fool! You want to…get this one-armed freak back and have his babies? Well, go get him then! You know why I called you brave that day? 'Cause you dared to fight against me despite your weaknesses to defend what you wanted! That's what makes the difference! If you just give up your dreams, you'll end up being the foolish dude! You'll end up like me!" he turned his sight away and murmured "Time turns foolishness into evilness, you know…and it's quite easy to be blinded by evil…"

"_ICE LIGHTNING!"_

"_ROARRR!"_

The battle kept raging behind Flanna and Big Destiny, the last one peeked into the battlefield and noticed Finn's distress to free his body from under the Lich's heavy claw. Big-D noticed that the ground beneath the two mortal enemies was about to collapse and probably bury them both alive. An idea struck his brain then.

"Well, my dear Firefly, it was a pleasure to be your enemy and sidekick on this crazy ride, but I'm afraid that it's getting late…" he winked at her and smiled "Better leave now, don't ya think? I'll leave the road open for you and your farm freak to work on your issues…!"

Flanna widened her green eyes in astonishment and confusion "W-what do you mean? Wh-where are you going?"

Big Destiny put his purple shades back on his face and smirked "Big-D has a pending date with destiny itself! Can't be late for that, can I?" he jumped out of their shelter and faced her one more time before leaving "Just for the record, I told ya all that junk because you're still part of my property, remember?" he unsheathed his golden sword and pointed it towards the Lich "And Big-D always takes great care of his possessions...hehe... May our paths meet again in a more friendly environment, Firefly!"

And with that, Big Destiny sprinted with all his might towards the demonic beast. He took advantage of the Lich's distraction as he struggled to crush Finn's body, in order to run behind his massive body and slash off his small doggy tail, causing him to slap the young wizard away and turn around to smash his attacker with his bony fists. The earth broke in two halves beneath their feet, swallowing them into its very bowels.

"That's it!" the crowned boy yelled summoning jolting ice bolts onto his fists "I shall freeze you forever within the depths of the planet, you annoying eternal beast…!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn fell onto his back, panting heavily after his arduous showdown with the Lich. He shouldn't give them trouble now that he was sealed within his strongest ice prison. Hopefully, after the scars on the earth had healed, no one would ever even remember that a powerful mutagenic evil remains dormant underneath their feet…

He stood up once again, grinning proudly at the title that the crown had just granted him "Yeah…I shall turn this world into my new kingdom…a kingdom of ice and whispering snow, for I have become the greatest wizard that has ever existed! I am the Ice Prince!"

"No, that's not true…" a stern voice replied behind him.

Flanna Hacksworth was standing right before him, aiming at the crown with the slingshot that he had given her just one night ago. Finn replied her with an indignant stare and an angry hiss, but his two devilish gestures went unnoticed. The red-haired girl fired her small weapon and knocked the crown off his head with a single shot.

"M-my crown!"

The boy yelled with a goblin-like shriek and immediately tried to get it back along with his new powers. However, a tight embrace stopped him from doing so, causing the young prince to struggle wildly in an attempt to escape from Flanna's arms. She just pressed him against her harder; she wasn't going to let him go.

"Finn Mertens is not a prince or a wizard…!" Flanna cried, "He is nothing but a humble farmer and a hero!" she rested her chin on his left shoulder and whispered, "He's my hero…and I want him back…"

"I need you…"

"Please Finn…"

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I love you…"

Finn stopped struggling, a look of awe in his cold blue eyes.


	21. Ice Prince

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twenty-one: Ice Prince**

In that very moment Finn felt like his old true self. He heard the girl sobbing on his shoulder and regretted to remember that Flanna's tears were more familiar to him than her smile. After all, most of their life together had been wasted with rivalry, fighting and affliction, it was only natural, he thought. That was all his poor mind had to offer. Though Finn wouldn't have minded to be brought back to reality with a more recent memory of him and the red-haired girl.

It was hard for him to tell, but the newly named prince knew that (although they were few) some sweet moments of him and her still dwelled in the back of his corrupted mind. However, Finn wasn't allowed to drift deeper into his subconscious self, a dark energy was impeding him to reach those memories, but he wasn't going to surrender so easily to the power of the Crown. At least not after having listened to _those three words… _If the boy couldn't reach his most treasured moments with Flanna, he'll have to live a new one. It didn't matter if it was the last one he would ever remember…

Having stopped his struggle to escape, Finn decided that he no longer wanted to be separated from his russet-haired captor. In an attempt to revive one of his lost moments with the green-eyed girl, the young wizard returned the embrace. He pulled the girl closer, letting her know that she could now cease her strive to keep him away from the crown and relax.

Flanna nestled her shivering body on Finn's, seeking in his arms the warmth that he could no longer provide. The cold breeze of the silent wasteland struck her mercilessly, being her torn dress a weak shield against it. Her bare feet were almost frozen to the dying earth, which had already consumed too much poison from the fallen Lich within her dusty entrails and the powerful burst of radiation that had just been released from the accursed atomic bomb.

Little by little, the young human began feel how the fatigue and the strain consumed her mortality. The mechanic arm that rested on her naked back was like a frosted whip to her exposed skin. Her muscles were convulsing from the cruel coldness of the environment while the speed of her heartbeats diminished. Yet Flanna smiled, pretending that Finn's ever growing lack of temperature wasn't the cause of her peaceful agony.

"And I…" Finn whispered enjoying the softness of her reddish hair as it stroke his face "I love you too Flanna…"

The farm boy's eyes spotted a golden glimmer not very far from him and the girl in his arms. He then gulped, seeking for the best way to explain her his grieving situation. The last thread of sanity within him had being rescued by knocking the crown off his head, but that didn't mean that Finn was now safe from its influence. Wearing the crown or not made no difference, he had been chosen as its master and there wasn't really anything that he or Flanna could do break that eternal curse.

"L-listen…" the boy said, mustering all the mental strength he had left to silence the confusing whispers inside his head "I'm changing, Flanna… My memories… I'm losing them pretty fast! Soon I won't be able to remember you anymore, and this time you won't be able to bring me back… Not even by keeping me away from the crown…!"

Finn buried his face on the crook of her neck and whispered softly "And… when I don't remember you… I will try to hurt ya… even though I swore to always be there to protect you…" he clenched his teeth feeling how his consciousness slipped away "Listen Fla– Flan–… I-I swear I know your name, damn it!"

The young wizard spoke with a broken voice as soon-to-be-frozen tears gathered in his eyes "You are not safe with me…you must leave me and you'd better make sure to forget me, 'cause I will forget you! … I don't want to…but I know I will… Just go back to where you came from…if mom and dad were with you there…tell 'em that I'm dead…!" He shut his eyes fiercely letting his tears wet his now bluish cheeks "Please Flanna! You must leave me and never come back!"

He awaited for her hurtful response fearfully, but there wasn't any. Flanna remained silent.

"F-Flanna?" Finn called. Again, there was no response from her "Flanna?!"

Finn retrieved his arms from her body and grabbed her shoulders to push her away from him as gently as he could. He saw her lean towards him numbly, which caused him to sit down on the newly formed snow that covered the lonely wasteland and cradle her delicately, letting her head rest on his chest. The icy wizard stroke her pale face and noticed with horror that no blood was now running through her veins. It must have been frozen.

"Flanna! Flanna!" the boy mourned in desperation still caressing her frostbitten skin. Finn sighed with grief in an attempt to regain his composure and stared at the red-haired girl tenderly "W-when did you become so cold…? It was me, wasn't it? I did this…"

He bent his back and leaned over her, placing his forehead on hers softly. Finn wept quietly on top of his beloved companion. She couldn't be gone, but the fact that he couldn't feel her breathing made him shiver out of fear. Meanwhile, a fervent desire to freeze everything around him kept growing within his soul. Finn fought with disdain to repel that wild instinct, the crown was calling him but so was his true self. The somber landscape surrounding him seemed to expand itself, making the boy feel insignificant as he endured his mental battle.

Finn couldn't handle it anymore; his mind was growing weak. It betrayed him, tempting his owner to leave the frozen girl and reach out for the golden crown. The young wizard was about to succumb to his false wishes, when his bear cap was suddenly pulled out of his head, letting his long blonde hair drift down his shoulders. Startled, the former farm boy poked around for the stranger who had dared to strip his head with an annoyed manner. A weak giggle startled him even more…

"You really think…it's going to be so easy to get rid of me…Mertens…?"

Flanna Hacksworth smirked clutching his hat with her trembling hands. Finn let out a surprised gasp, immediately forgetting his desire to get back his crown and freeze the world. He lifted her numb body from his lap and held her gently on his arms. Concern struck him deeply, noticing that her lips were turning blue as well as her cheeks and ears. Flanna was suffering from hypothermia, that is, if Finn could recall what that was.

"_Something related with the cold"_, he remembered, _"Dad had seen several calves die because of it during winter…" _The young wizard shook his head in an attempt to discard his pessimist thoughts; he had to find a way to save Flanna.

The crown's golden glimmer was reflected in his eyes, there was no other option. To save the red-haired girl Finn would have to wear the crown once more, that would give him the power to fly and hopefully find her some medical attention.

"I-I'll take you outta here!" the boy shrieked in desperation "The power of frost will save you!"

"Finn…" Flanna chuckled as her hand reached for his face "The power of frost is killing me… Besides…you'll go all wacky again…just stay…while the two of us are still conscious…"

"No! I won't stay here and do nothing while you die!" Finn cried angrily "I will save you! The crown chose me to save y'all! Its power will keep us alive!"

"No Finn…there's nothing out there left for us…" she struggled to keep her eyes open "S-soon you'll be gone forever…and no one is really waiting for me at home…this is all we have left…this brief moment together…please…y-you promised…you promised me that we'll enjoy the time that we have left together…"

The young wizard widened his eyes, how could she ask him to remember a promise when he could barely remember his own name? The crown had forbid him from recurring to those memories; Flanna was a menace in that sense, the accursed golden object –which actually happened to have a mind of its own, knew it since Finn's little sibling cried a while ago. There was a strong human emotion that could trigger a dangerous reaction on its master, a reaction that would free him from its influence, and that wasn't within the crown's plans.

The golden antiquity had waited a thousand years to find a new wielder and that's why (even though it was hard because of the distance between it and its prince) the crown was trying to cultivate a loathsome wish within the darkest corner of Finn's heart: That the girl would just hurry up and die once and for all.

"Finn…" Flanna whispered "C-can't you…remember it? Last night…on your roof…we shared a nice time together…can't you recall what happened there?"

Finn replied her shaking his head, his eyes scared and confused at the same time. He wished he'd know what happened that night, he wanted to remember that promise and fulfilled it for her before she parted ways with him, but all his efforts were futile.

"I-I can't Flanna…!" cried the boy "I'm sorry, but I can't…!" he clenched his eyes shut "It's happening! The crown…! It's overtaking me…! It compels me to forget you…to forget everything!"

His frustration was taking the best of him but Flanna, knowing that her time was getting way too small decided to offer him some help remembering. Her hands held his desperate face using her thumbs to stroke his skin and relief him from his anguish.

"It's okay, Finn…" the girl said as she closed the gap between their faces "Remembering isn't hard…you just have to… feel me…"

Flanna kissed him. It was a brief and modest kiss; she barely brushed his lips, but hopefully that would be enough to transmit him the warmth and affection that he had made her feel that night. That was the best she could do before collapsing exhaustedly on his chest. No matter how much passion burned within her, she was only human.

"I…remember…" Finn whispered in realization "In that moment I thought…that everything would work fine for us… Even if your father came for you, I was already making plans to kick him back to the city…!" he chuckled playfully for the first time since he wore the crown "I believed that Junktown was small and miserable enough to be ignored by the rest of the world…that none one would come to bother us and that, after getting rid of the Destiny Gang…we could just live peacefully…"

"Why did this have to happen? Why here? Why us?" the boy wondered silently as he stroke Flanna's hair "What are we paying for?"

"Guess that…" Flanna replied, "Whoever made that bomb…had just one thing in mind… annihilation…"

"But…why?! Were the people before us…evil? That bomb… I think I understand now…the dead magician dude… The weird old lady said that he had to use the crown to save us from it… just like I had to use it to save my family. But in the end, that poor guy died in vain 'cause I ruined what he did… Its all because of me!" the boy wept "Everything went nuts and it was my fault!"

The red-haired girl pushed herself up to face Finn and gave him a weary smile "No, it wasn't you…that guy, Simon… I saw him as well…and I don't think that he had died in vain…its just that…no matter what we do…evil will always exist, just as good does…Yeah, the D-Gang screwed it all and that was bad…but if it wasn't because of them…you and I will still be enemies…"

"And what we feel for each other now is good, isn't? Something good will always come out of evil…and that's what I'd like to believe of this situation…who knows, maybe…good things are awaiting for us in the future…"

"The future…" Finn muttered as he glared at the crown "I don't know you, but our future seems like its gonna be way too grim and depressing…" he surrounded her weak frame and drew her closer "Let's just forget it and do what you were asking me before… let's enjoy the time we have together…"

A blush was Flanna's last source of heat before losing herself in the Ice Prince's frozen embrace.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Finn was forced to wear the crown once again after Flanna exhaled her last breath. Losing her was inevitable; her body was completely frozen and too poisoned by the explosion's radiation to be able to live one more day. It pained him to know that she was gone when her lips stopped gliding over his and her arms abandoned their firm embrace around his neck to meet the coldness of the snow.

After that, the young ice wizard carried her on his arms as his bare feet left a trail of lonesome footprints behind him. Everything froze with each step he made until he reached the shore of a wide crystalline lake. There he knelt on the water, placing her body on its surface. Finn let her keep his hat, which she was still holding tightly between her hands –not being able to find the courage to deprive her from a part of him.

"I'm sorry Flanna…" he sobbed "But the whispers... They say that I have to let you go…"

The boy remained silent still keeping her afloat, though the crown was now vesting him with its power and influence; he knew that he would never let himself forget her departure.

"_No… Flanna please…! Don't leave me…please…say something… Call me idiot like you used to…just one last time…please…I need you…"_

She just left… Contradicting the classic belief that a kiss would always awake a princess from her eternal slumber, Flanna simply drifted into it guided by the comforting touch of the boy she loved.

Finn quickly wiped the tears from his eyes using his human forearm and leaned in to kiss her forehead "Don't worry…" he whispered softly "Now that I know of its existence, I won't stop searching until I find the magic that will bring you back to me…"

With that said, he pushed her body softly into the water and watched her sink delicately towards its depths.

"Besides…if I'm bound to be a prince…" Finn said as his eyes turned completely blue "I'll need a princess to rule by my side…heh…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

_Time shall not ruin your beauty, my princess… I'll gladly freeze these waters to keep you safe from its ever-changing influence. I promise that you won't be lonely for long; I shall always come back to visit you when my own insanity makes me weary as I count the number of days that life forces me to endure without you…_

_I don't know what might the future bring for this planet from now on, but if I must, I will gladly freeze the entire world in your name –if I manage to remember it, that is… _

_I do remember that my name used to be Finn something and that I used to live for the sake of my family, working as a simple peasant. I had a mother and a father, whom I used to love deeply… There was also a baby, my brother… I wish him only the best. If our paths shall cross again one day, then I shall cause him no harm –if I manage to remember him, that is… _

_Finally, I think there were two non-human companions that I used to appreciate as well…a mule and a dog, if I recall correctly… Bartram and Jake, life was as unfair with you as it was with me. You did nothing but to be loyal and friendly at all times, never asking for anything but love and caring in return. However, one of you was left at his own luck on this barren wasteland and the other was possessed by the incarnation of humanity's evil itself… Don't worry, my furry friends, for you are both martyrs before my wizard eyes and I shall always thank for what you did –if I manage to remember you, that is…_

_Now, I'm no longer that so-called Finn something. I am the hand of madness, a master of the ice and snow! No man, beast or weapon shall oppose me…! Not even time itself! For I am the end and the beginning…_

Finn kneels to pick up his sword attachment and replaces his mechanic hand with it; a mass of ice starts to crawl slowly around its metal to boost it with its solid strength and sharpness.

_I am…_

_The Ice Prince…_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Dang it, I know I shouldn't be nervous each time I post a chapter, but this one is really creeping me out for the amount of sadness, fluff and insanity within it. Especially because I actually killed Flanna this time, but I hope that you guys trust in Finn's resolution before sending me to the other world as well.

Now, before I forget it (because I usually do!) some of you said a couple of interesting things in your reviews, so let me reply you here this time:

_coldblue:_ Those questions you made, had just been answered in Finn's monologue. I'm just going to say that, 'cause it may be a little too spoilery to explain their meaning. Hopefully (and this is a hint for everyone) the next chapter's name may answer your first two questions when you get to read it. Oh and look, I took your suggestion! =D

_KoalaBear95: _Write more than necessary? C'mon, you guys can write everything you want. I won't be bothered, I love to read your comments and they are always greatly appreciated! =D

_Harvest-Mooniac:_ I hope you don't consider me evil again (but I think you will) after this chapter XD

_Fireworks:_ Thanks, I'm glad you like it! And you know? There was actually going to be a Lemongrab counterpart in chapter 13 'Peter Butler'. On the first drafts he was supposed to be Flanna's school principal, but I discarded that because I found his appearance somewhat unfitting for that chapter's mood... I still don't know if that was a wise choice or not, hehehe.

_You Just Got Owned:_ Well this chapter answered that question, I hope the whole mental struggle wasn't confusing 'cause I did get a headache trying to type Finn's mental battle against that curse xD P.s. Awesome!

_thephoenixblade:_ You're suspecting right, we are closer than ever to the story's end and I hope you're still enjoying it.

_InfernoLeo9:_ I think I erased that smile with this chapter, didn't I? Unless you like this kind of drama as well, oh glob.

_StrikerXE:_ I couldn't help being nervous about this chapter, really! I don't know, maybe because I killed a main character and people might not like that... But anyway, I trust you and the other readers have the final word. Drive me out of my uncertainty please! XP

_nk3-ATR:_ Espero también hayas disfrutado de este capítulo (en la mejor forma posible) Y sabes? Comparto lo piensas con respecto a Jake, a mi también me dolió que le tocara perecer de esa manera...y bueno, como ya lo leíste, incluso lo nombre mártir por lo que le sucedió :'(

_dinoRAWR2919:_ Wow, that was a nice reaction! Hopefully this chapter didn't change your perception of this story, did it? BTW I love your signature :3

_trasgoartifexdiaz:_ Espero no haber dañado de por vida tu glándula de las emociones con este capítulo, ya vez que incluso a mi misma me tiene alterada, jeje. Pero bueno, ya me harás saber cúal fue el veredicto final para hoy.

_Ozymandeos:_ Glad to see you're still enjoying this fic! =D

_TheJamjam:_ I'm just sitting here nervously waiting for your reaction, seriously, I just don't know if this chapter was a good or a bad idea xD

_Chuvulam:_ Are you going to murder me for this? *grabs a pillow and hides behind it*

_Glen Leider:_ Well, there could exist some similarities between Finn and Simon. I mean, since they were possessed by the same crown, then they should have the same weaknesses, no? Oh, and I'm happy you like this.


	22. The Land of Ooo

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twenty-two: The Land of Ooo**

_Catastrophe… What is the meaning of this singular word? Some define it as a violent and sudden disaster, a horrible event. You may also describe it as an utter failure or a destructive incident. I'd personally like to find its meaning in a more literary term; the final event of a dramatic action, the closing of a tragedy. _

_I never thought that this word would be the perfect adjective to describe the history of our world…_

_An ancient war ragged upon the planet, sowing a seed of destruction beneath our bare feet. For centuries it remained unnoticed, buried underground, sterile and dead within the darkness… It was never meant to germinate… Or so we thought._

_It was fate or just pure misfortune what led young Finn Mertens to set that bomb off. Vested with the power of a mysterious crown, the enraged boy unleashed his freezing wrath against the ominous flames that threatened to eat away everything he once knew and loved._

_As he lost control over his mind, his newly acquired powers began to run wild, ultimately bursting the atomic power of the hidden missile after striking the earth mercilessly with his frozen bolts. _

_Oblivious to those hazardous events, we the common folk, suffered great uncertainty while the once blue skies above us grew dark and a mass of crying phantoms rose in the horizon, shortly after a blinding light exploded somewhere in our beloved land. _

_Just a few villagers managed to survive the explosion. We were left behind to wonder why were we destined to live another day in an already condemned world. Then hunger drove us to leave our homes and everything we had once possessed; it was a never-ending journey of peril and sickness._

_Our quest for food and shelter was nothing but a failure, another catastrophe. A mysterious wave of cold weakened our exhausted bodies, destroyed every crop in the fields and killed most of our livestock. Those who managed to survive the continued swarm of winter storms that struck the land suffered from other unknown diseases. We noticed blisters and changes in the color of our skin, as well as many other physical alterations in our bodies. I guess I could blame the atomic radiation for that… _

_In the end we were too weak and weary to continue venturing into the bleakness of our new world, which forced us to leave our nomadic ways and get established in the middle of nowhere. The years came and went, never bringing news of other towns or cities with them. We began to believe that we were the last humans on Earth…_

_We became endangered species; at least that is what the gradual appearance of ferocious creatures in the land made us think. It all started with a glimpse of a gigantic winged-reptile crossing the greyish skies. Then, eight months after that strange sighting our small village was attacked by a herd of colorful equines, which came from within strange crystal portals that were suddenly opened around us._

_Those beautiful but frightening beasts could have devoured us all if it wasn't for the bravery of our youngest member, the last Mertens boy. Using the sharpness of an old rusty blade, the young man managed to scare away those monsters and save what remained of our village. _

_Right after obtaining his victory, the brown-haired lad left our side, swearing to return with news of the outside world, food and medicines. We never saw him again since then…_

_This is last piece of humanity's history. As I feel my own life slipping through my fingers, I'll devote the last of my strength to finish this paragraph just in case someone out there finds these writings…_

_Just in case someone manages to survive this… catastrophe… _

_Miss Bonnibel B. Hamilton. _

_May 21, of the year 3087_

* * *

"The heck I just read?!" an angry Ice Prince screeched before ripping out the page of the antique diary, and tossing it onto the ground after having crumpled it into a paper ball. "That's from a thousand years ago!"

"Y-you didn't like your reading, sir?" asked a turtle girl whose half body was encased in a thick ice layer.

Piles of books and snow-covered shelves were surrounding them, the Ice Prince had just wrecked havoc all over the library as he did every week or so since the last one hundred fifty years. Nobody knew his reasons for carrying out that strange ritual, but it seemed that he wasn't going to stop until he had read every single book in the building, or at least until finds whatever he's looking for.

"No, I didn't!" the blue-skinned wizard replied in a childish manner with his arms crossed "Your books lack of the knowledge I'm searching for! This is insulting; I've wasted so much of my time in this filthy place and still nothing! Nothing at all!"

He walked the narrow hallways dragging his now long silver hair along the floor and the scattered books that were covering it while his frozen stare pierced through the multiple shelves before him "I am disappointed, Turtle Princess… I'm truly disappointed…"

Despite being partially frozen, the blonde turtle girl felt the sweat gathering on her forehead as she fought to keep a nervous smile on her face to please the icy prince and hopefully get out of that stressful situation alive, and with her vast book collection unharmed.

"Uh…hmm…M-maybe if you'd be so kind of telling me what are you looking for specifically, I might be able to help ya find it! Hehe…umm… Please don't freeze my books again…"

The Ice Prince raised an eyebrow, a furious glare enhancing his bothered features "How come you or your ancestors never cared to tell me that before?! I've been coming here for almost two centuries now, globdamnit!"

Icy winds swirled around his menacing figure, making his torn blue cloak dance behind him along with his silver mane. Some books were forced open by these cold winds, causing its pages to flip themselves out of their covers and rain over the already wrecked library.

"Well, you never asked…" Turtle Princess sighed as she followed the thousand pages above her with her slanted eyes.

"Fine! I need spells, but not the clumsy and useless ones that you have stored in here!" the silver-haired man growled, "I need powerful ones! Be it good, dark or evil magic, I don't care!"

The turtle girl bit her lips while her brain tried to find the exact location of such books. An excited gasp left her lungs, letting the winter wizard know that she had found the required information "P-perhaps in the 'Forsaken Section'…!"

The "Forsaken Section" was located beneath a hidden trapdoor on one of the library's hallways. Turtle Princess unlocked it for the prince and handed him an oil lantern so that he could find his way throughout the dusty darkness of its narrow passages.

With the help of his frozen arm-sword, the Ice Prince cut through the gigantic spider webs that entangled the area until he finally found the organized collection of forbidden archives. He then spent a good long nine hours browsing all the yellowish texts and withered scrolls that were left at his frosted reach.

When he finally came out of the secret opening on the floor, the Ice Prince was carrying with him a load of ten thick volumes of dark enchantments and spells. "Jake, come here in this instant!" the prince called.

A small chubby penguin waddled from around a corner and greeted his master with a simple but firm "Wenk!"

"Take these books to the castle, I shall study them closer tonight!"

The penguin named Jake nodded and with much difficulty received the heavy books with his flat flippers. The Ice Prince grinned in satisfaction and turned around whipping his long cloak with his flesh arm. "Sign-out those books." He ordered coldly not even caring to face Turtle Princess as he stormed out of the library.

Once outside the young prince gave a serene stare to heavenly black skies above him and sighed wishfully "I'm almost there, my dear…" he close his eyes and let the cold breeze mess with his silver locks "I know! I'll get you something nice!"

The icy wizard leaped into the air and charged towards an imposing city in the distance using his long strands of hair to fly. As he got closer it became easier for him to distinguish the pink-colored buildings and the sitting gumball machine giants that guarded that magnificent kingdom from any harm.

"_Hehehe! _There's_ only one place where the gummy roses grow…_

_In the Candy Kingdom everyone knows, that's where I shall go!" _Sang the Ice Prince with a merry tone.

**x+x+x+x+x**

That same night the ruler of the Candy Kingdom, Princess B. Bubblegum was sharing some tea in her castle's courtyard with the soon-to-be-retired hero of the land, Billy.

The princess was a young woman whose entire body was made of pink bubblegum. She was wearing a long pink dress with short puffy sleeves and a golden tiara with a turquoise gem gleaming on its top. The man sitting next to her at the charming tea table, was a green old giant with a thick white beard that reached his scar-full chest and a flowing mane of the same color below his bald head.

The two of them happened to be completely focused on their hearty talk, so it was impossible that they might have noticed the swift goblin-like figure, which was running across the rooftops of the majestic candy palace as he made his way towards that same courtyard.

The Ice Prince let himself fall from one of the towers and landed softly on his bare feet over the royal garden's sweet lemon grass. He pressed his back against one of the cream-colored brick walls and sidled stealthy to peek at Princess Bubblegum and her old hero as carefully as he could.

A naughty fanged grin was drawn across the prince's bluish face, he knew he could complete his mission without being discovered and if fate happened to betray him, he'd simply use his sharp arm to clear his way out of the Candy Palace.

The icy wizard locked his sight on the rose bushes that surrounded the tea tables and flew quietly to pass above the pink princess and her guest. His small blue feet touched the fresh green grass softly after a successful landing. The Ice Prince was now right behind them, hiding his body within the blueberry-scented rose bushes that he wanted so badly.

Without further delay, the former human boy began to cut the blue roses with his sword as he whispered in a joyful song…

"_Cutting a bouquet of roses blue, for the fairest maiden in the land of Ooo…!_

_Who shall be awakened with the bright full moon? My frozen lady, I shall see you soon!"_

He might have gotten a little excited with his song or with the fact that his plan was coming out quite nicely, either way, he was making loud noises and before he even knew it, five banana guards were cornering him with their spears.

"Oh c'mon not you again!" one of the guards scowled "What have you stolen this time?!"

The Ice Prince, who was now hiding his hands behind his back gave them a naïve grin "A bouquet of roses blue, for the fairest maiden in the land of Ooo?" he replied faking nervousness.

"And who would be that?" another banana man inquired.

"Nobody!" another one shouted "Just his imaginary girlfriend! Give those roses back, Ice Prince or we'll have to use aggressive tactics with you!"

"Oh, heavens no! That's so unfair!" the blue wizard cried exaggerating his melodramatic gestures "Five against one…! I'm so scared right now!"

"R-really?" the banana guards gasped in astonishment.

"Hehehe… No!" the Ice Prince unleashed a powerful blizzard, which turned them into ice statues with not effort at all.

"Ice Prince, you can't take those roses!" one of the frozen guards muttered "They were planted in the memory of our Great Candy Queen, they mean a lot to Princess Bubblegum!"

"I'm not giving them back, they mean a lot to me too, ya know?! Besides she has another whole bunch over there, she doesn't need 'em!"

"Ice Prince!" a female voice yelled causing the silver-haired wizard to turn and face its source, Princess Bubblegum "What are you doing in my castle again? Didn't I warn you that the Candy Kingdom is a restricted are for you?!"

"Who's this goblin, Princess?" the green old giant inquired sternly.

"He's the creep who's always stealing princesses' most valuable possessions without apparent reason, and then he just throws them Glob-knows-where!" the sugary ruler answered as she glanced at the Ice Prince with indignation.

"Is that so…?" Billy whispered with a frown "Well then, I'll have to teach ya a lesson!" the old man raised his hand and called his blade with a strong firm voice "Nothung…!"

"A lesson?!" the icy wizard snarled, "I'll teach you a lesson, princess! You and those other annoying princesses don't deserve to have such nice stuff! My frozen princess should have them, she does deserve it!"

"There is no 'Frozen Princess' dude, you're insane!" the old hero grunted rolling his eyes.

"H-how dare you?!" the Ice Prince hissed in anger, curling his hand into a fist and raising his frozen sword-hand "How dare you claim that my princess doesn't exist?! I'll make you pay for that!"

With that, the enraged prince attacked the hero Billy mercilessly, while the last one struggled with all his might to avoid the freezing beams that came from the Ice Prince's hand and the sharp edge of his frosted blade.

Princess Bubblegum noticed with fear that Billy wasn't going to stand a chance against the icy wizard's fury and so she dared to snatch one of her banana guards' spears, and enter the battlefield to aid her hero.

Just when the Ice Prince had Billy at his mercy and was preparing his sword to cut his throat open, the pink princess tossed the spear at his head, knocking the golden crown off from its top.

"Dang, my crown! My powers!"

"That's it!" the old giant wasted no time on taking advantage of the situation and punched the prince's face with his mighty fist.

Billy immediately kicked the crown out of his reach and pushed him onto the ground with his heavy foot, crushing the blue roses in the process. The Ice Prince noticed this with despair and stopped his struggle to free his body from the hero's weight, as a sign of his defeat.

"Damn you, you annoying creatures…!" The prince cried in desperation "Why can't I just take some miserable flowers with me, huh?! What's so wrong about wanting to give a girl a nice present?! Leave me alone, you bunch of donks! Leave me alone with my misery…"

Princess Bubblegum watched the scene letting some remorse overcome her royal standards. She stared into the Ice Prince's tearful eyes and saw more than just an insane goblin-like wizard, she saw a lonely boy fighting to hide his need for compassion with his pride.

Bubblegum then walked towards the rose bushes, she cut the most beautiful one she could find with great care, and then knelt close to the weeping prince, offering it to him.

"What's this?! Are you trying to fool me again?!"

"No, Ice Prince… I want you have it, please give it to your princess…" Princess Bubblegum smiled "You may leave in peace, but only if you promise me to do it."

The Ice Prince stared at her dumbfounded and then accepted the rose nervously "Y-yeah… I will…" he gulped "Thank you."

**x+x+x+x+x**

The Ice Prince flew across the night holding the blue gummy rose tightly onto his chest. The white moon's glow was reflected in the distance on a crystalline surface, which lighted the green hills around it with its borrowed light. A faint smile graced the wizard's features after glimpsing the frozen lake's phantasmal gleam, causing him to speed up his flight a little.

His feet entered in contact with the cold surface without a single wince coming out of his fascinated lips, he was standing on his element after all… The Ice Prince stretched his only hand in an authoritative manner and commanded the ice to open itself and let him dive into the depths of the lonely lake.

The silver-haired lad swam into the freezing water with ease. The lack of air wasn't a nuisance for him; he could easily conjure a mask of ice around his mouth and nose before diving into the coldness, keeping some air from the outside sealed within it.

It took him some time to reach the bottom, but that didn't matter for him. He had reached her once again. Lying silently in peaceful slumber, rested a fourteen-year-old girl with silky red hair and worn out clothes. Her body had been placed in a case of thin transparent ice, crafted with effort and dedication by the same hands that were now laid upon it.

The Ice Prince smiled softly and showed her the blue rose "Look, I brought you another flower!" he said "And this one is made of candy, it shouldn't wither like the others I've brought you before…"

He placed the flower on top of her crystal case and sighed "I know you've been here all alone for centuries since I can remember, but… I-I have good news!" his face glowed with joy "I might have found a way to get you out of this frozen desolation…a way to birth you back into life…!"

The Ice Prince laid his hand over hers, the white bear cap was still being held between them, close to her heart "Soon we won't have to be alone anymore… we'll have each other, and things will become better for us… We won't have to stay here with these annoying people anymore; I'll take you to other distant lands, I'll share the wonders of the ice with you and… I'll make you more songs…"

He felt a sudden urge to cry and leaned over the coldness of her case to shed his grieving tears, wishing that he could somehow receive some comfort from her so close, but still distant arms.

"And this time…" the Ice Prince sobbed "You'll be able to listen to them…"

"_Who warms my frozen heart when it feels blue? _

_My beautiful maiden, she's a dream come true…_

_Though I ignore why I'm so in love with you, _

_I don't care; it feels good to be by your side, _

_The fairest princess in the land of Ooo…"_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Oh dear Glob, I hope you liked this chapter 'cause you were able to read it today thanks to a miracle. I accidentally dropped my laptop and it destroyed my USB key, and that's where I keep all my fanfiction files (including this chapter) and I thought that I had lost everything, but miraculously my laptop was fine and the USB somehow, works even if it's all wrecked! My headphones weren't so lucky though...

I'm so happy about the last chapter's positive reactions, I was freaking nervous about it and you guys liked it! You're the best guys, seriously. =D

On other unrelated news, if any of you is following DinoRAWR2919's fanfic 'Shadows' She apologizes for not updating, because she's in the process of moving and well, we all know that's crazy XD

Let's see what else... Oh!_ coldblue_ asked some questions, right._  
_

–Well this chapter showed more or less that he does know how to use his weapon.

–Finn's little sibling, as you might have noticed, disappeared a thousand years ago, whatever happened to him is meant to remain as a mystery. You're free to imagine his fate, whatever it was, though.

–Now, I can't tell how much has Finn aged 'cause I understand that the crown delays the process of aging and a thousand years have passed... so if you want an specific number, I imagine him to be 16/17 years-old physically and 1014 years-old mentally.

Well, that's it. Thanks for reading, guys!

See ya soon!


	23. M

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twenty-three: "M"**

The flickering flame of a small candle filled his face with ominous shadows as his eyes went through every single line of the ancient texts that he had been so committed to study. The fierce cries of swirling winter breezes echoed in his hollow castle's crystalline walls, giving a ghoulish air to his already grim surroundings. He liked it though; after all he was reading witchcraft and various other sorts of forbidden magic.

Bringing someone back from the dead wasn't an easy task, in fact it was supposed to be an impossible one since the laws of nature prohibited doing so. However, the Ice Prince, even though he ignored why his heart was itching with the need of doing it, was determined to carry out one single purpose… Defy nature.

"A winged creature, which dies in flames but it's reborn from its ashes…" the wizard murmured as he rubbed his chin deep in thought "Hmm… so I need to get some of those ashes to perform the spell, huh?"

With an exhausted sigh the blue-skinned boy closed the dusty book and placed it on top of the many others that were piled up next to his ice sofa. Then he removed the golden crown from his head momentarily to brush his silver bangs away from his forehead. Shortly after abandoning his seat, the wizard noticed some blackish bags beneath his eyes thanks to his reflection, always multiplied by thousands, on the walls around him as he made his way down his cold crystal hallway, which drove him to get some sleep before leaving on his quest for the magic ingredients.

"But before doing that…" the tired prince whispered taking a seat on the edge of his bed "Jake! Bring me a piece of paper and a pen!"

His small penguin servant came as fast as he could with the writing materials and handed them to his master with a "wenk!" The Ice Prince replied him with a glare and after jumping in realization, the black and white bird spun around and bent downwards so that the icy wizard could write on his back.

"Now let's see…. To perform the spell I'll need to get some of those phoenix ashes, dragon whiskers –yeah, I already got those… and hmm…a vessel?" the prince raised his head with a doubtful look in his blue eyes "What was the vessel for? I forgot! Jake! Get me the book!"

The penguin scurried out of his master's bedroom and returned some moments later, dragging the heavy book that the prince was reading just a few minutes ago. The former human boy grasped it out of his servant's flippers and sent him to sleep with the other penguins. He needed a moment to be alone, a moment to think…

"_A vessel to infuse the magic ingredients within it, is required before chanting the rebirthing spell…"_ the prince read aloud _"It's also important to add the essence of the one who shall be reborn before casting it, otherwise the body will lack of a soul…" _

"No soul?!" the Ice Prince gasped in horror "No, way! I shall not allow myself to make such mistake, the last thing I want is to chase the hollow body of my princess throughout the whole land!"

He tossed the book onto the floor and stumbled towards his bedroom's window, the dawning of a new day welcomed him with its soft changing palette of warm blending colors as he leaned on the frame with an uncertain look marking his frozen features.

"Her essence…" the disconsolate prince whispered "What could be… her essence?"

His feet led him to slide his back down the wall after turning himself around to face his now lighted bedroom. The millenarian wizard felt frightened and unsure for the fist time in centuries. How could he have forgotten about something so significant as a person's very essence? The unchanging and unchangeable fundamental nature of a being, the only thing that makes us what we are, what gives us our identity and determines our ways of living? In other words, our soul…

To call her soul back into her body, the Ice Prince needed some of her essence or at least something that was still pervaded with it, but he had no idea of what could that be. To tell the truth, the young prince didn't really know anything about his red-haired princess. All he knew was that his frozen heart belonged to her for some reason, and that he needed her back no matter the cost.

"Never mind, I'll take care of that later…" he whispered as he dragged his tired body towards his bed "I'll find the way, I swear I'll do it!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Desperate to obtain the required ingredients for his rebirthing spell, the Ice Prince left his castle that afternoon and flew above the highest peaks in all of Ooo in the hopes of finding a dying phoenix. Though it seemed like finding a needle in a haystack, the silver-haired wizard managed to run into one of those mythical bursting birds when he finally dared to venture into the borders of the Fire Kingdom out of desperation.

In more than a thousand years of living (if his perception of time was still reliable) the Ice Prince would have never walked –or in his case flown, near to that volcanic wasteland. No, he didn't wish to have anything to do with that kingdom ever again. Fire elementals were his natural opposite and therefore, his natural enemies as well. Glob forbids he'd ever have to deal with one of those hotheaded creatures for as long as he lives.

Sick of the closeness with the high temperatures of the blazing kingdom just a few miles away from him, the icy wizard left towards the Grasslands and let himself roll down the fresh grassy hills and fields with such enthusiasm and joy, that he could have been easily compared to a kid. The phoenix ashes completed the ingredients required to revive his frozen princess, now all he needed was to find a vessel to infuse it with the magic brew and he would be finally done with the rebirthing spell.

"Now… a vessel…" the prince murmured as he sat on top of a hill to think, "What is the vessel needed for exactly? I will never get to understand this kind of mundane magic… Where could I get one these 'vessel' things, huh?"

As he pondered on what a vessel is and how to obtain one, a loud racket of gleeful cheers boomed behind the hill he was sitting on, startling the heck out of him. The Ice Prince turned towards the sound of clapping hands and excited whistling only to find a colorful congregation of candy people, talking animals, princesses and peasants of all sorts, dancing around a small wooden stage where Princess Bubblegum and the so-called hero Billy were standing solemnly.

"Not these guys again…!" the Ice Prince hissed "What are they doing here anyway?!"

As if she had heard his question, the princess of the Candy Kingdom made a step forward and declared "People of Ooo, we are gathered here to bid farewell to the greatest hero of the land and welcome his new successor, who has also proved to be worthy of such title for all his courageous deeds as defender of our people…!"

The crowd cheered and applauded even louder.

"Joshua the Dog, please join us on the stage!" Bubblegum called.

The colorful multitude moved aside to let a golden bulldog with a grey hat crowning his round head make his way through. He ran swiftly across the sea of people and performed a graceful stunt to land onto the stage, which caused the crowd to become even louder and make the annoyed hidden prince cover his pointy ears.

"Ugh…so much noise for an ugly dog!" the icy wizard complained as he locked his sight on the stage, feeling how a sudden nostalgic sting struck his heart upon laying his eyes on Joshua "Huh?… That dog seems…familiar…"

Princess Bubblegum silenced the excited crowd with a small gesture of her slender hands and then bent down a little to receive a sheathed sword from her peppermint servant. The Ice Prince couldn't help but to gasp in amazement at the "awesome-looking" crimson cross that was decorating the blade's fine-crafted hilt.

"Whoa… imagine what someone like me would do with a sword like that one!"

"Brave Joshua!" the pink princess exclaimed, "You have wielded this –your trusted sword, in countless battles and have always managed to emerge victorious of them…! Will you bow to use this triumphant blade to vanquish evil, defend the innocent and preserve justice in our land?"

Joshua knelt down placing his right fist on his heart "I will your highness, for the land, for my beloved wife Margaret, and for my two newborn sons. No evil shall cause them harm for as long as I'm still able to stand on my feet! I swear!"

Princess Bubblegum drew the sword and used its tip to touch the golden dog's shoulders "Then I shall name you Joshua, the Newest Hero of Ooo! People of the land, rejoice!"

The Ice Prince rested his back on the grass covering his ears once again; the noise and the cheering just grew louder after Bubblegum declared that now was the time to celebrate with a party for the retiring hero and the newly named one. Why didn't the icy wizard just escape from there? Easy, he had managed to spot the greatest merchant of rarities in the land among the multitude, and he knew for sure that this strange looking-duck would certainly know about vessels and maybe even sell him one.

Thus, the troubled prince spent the whole afternoon trying to stand the irritating music and cheering of the horrendous party that Princess Bubblegum had thrown probably just to annoy him (Even though she had no idea that he was there) When the twilight covered the Grasslands, the loud music finally faded away and the crowd began to walk towards their homes, leaving the road open for the Ice Prince to intercept the famous merchant Choose Goose and interrogate him about the vessel.

"A vessel for a rebirthing spell, you _say_?" the blue-dressed creature replied as he rubbed his beak "I'm sorry, but even though I might have what you're looking for, it won't help you with the game you're trying to _play_…"

"What?!" the angry sorcerer yelled "Are you telling me that you want to be turned into a ducky popsicle, duck?!"

Choose Goose backed away nervously "No, no, no! I didn't mean that! You see, when it comes to dark magic like this one, every single detail counts and will always affect the final result of your _spell_!" he wiped some sweat from his forehead "If you want the opinion of an expert you must look for the wandering demon spirit of the Evil Forest! She might have just the thing you're searching for! A-are you listening to what I'm trying to _tell_?

"Evil Forest. Wandering demon spirit. Answers. I got it, thanks Choose Bruce!" the Ice Prince said before sprinting away.

"Look for the three full moon columns, you'll find her there for _sure_!" the merchant shouted cupping his hands around his beak "And my name is Choose Goose, not Choose Bruce, that –I can always _assure_!"

"Yeah! Choose Goose, that's exactly what I said!" the prince growled in the distance.

**x+x+x+x+x**

The Prince followed a path of horror, displaying a stoic expression on his facial gestures. The ghoulish twisted trees around him couldn't make him wince or run away; the terrifying growls of fierce monsters lurking in the dark never sent a chill down his spine, and the tortured faces on most of the dead vegetation were never noticed by his icy stare.

As he walked deeper into the creepy woods, the young wizard managed to distinguish three rays of light flashing through the thick forest canopy, it was the moonlight entering through the giant gaps amongst the treetops. Someone had cut down three weeping willows on purpose to allow the full moon's light pass into the darkness of the Evil Forest, but who?"

"These must be the three light columns…" the Ice Prince whispered as he stood in the middle of the light rays "Hey demon! Where are you?!"

A hissing sound made him back away and trip with one of the stumps, causing him to fall onto his butt and hit his head against the tree's fallen trunk. With a hint of anger, the prince gritted his fangs to release his own scaring hiss and turned around to see what had provoked the new painful bump on his head. It was just one of the fallen trees, it had nothing unusual except for the "M" roughly carved on its trunk.

The young wizard examined the mysterious letter while he rubbed his aching head only to be suddenly startled by a malevolent female laughter echoing in the woods.

"What the–?!"

"Well, well, well… Look what the destiny has brought to my feet…" the same voice clacked "That crown suits you better than it did with its former master, I must say..."

The Ice Prince jumped off the ground when he noticed a black cloak in front of his very eyes, and faced the hooded stranger while trying to hide his own astonishment as he dusted off his torn garments.

"Are you lost or are you standing before me on purpose, Ice Prince…?" the cloaked being inquired.

She was slightly taller than him and though it was hard to tell because of her dark cloak, she seemed to have a slender figure, also, because of the sound of her voice, it was possible to infer that she had Princess Bubblegum's age, if not she was just a little bit older.

"I was told that a wandering demon spirit inhabited this woods and that she'd help me with my rebirthing spell." The silver-haired lad stated "It appears that I need some kind of vessel to infuse my magic on it."

It was hard to tell because of the shadows on her face, but it was certain that an amused grin was gracing the demon spirit's face "Rebirthing spell, huh? Careful icy prince, you're playing with fire here… a rebirthing spell has many implications; that's too much rules to break, too much fates to change and too much tears to shed. Why would you risk so much using black magic?"

The Ice Prince gave her a cold glare "None of your business, spirit…"

"Very well." She replied carelessly "A vessel you said? Well, for a rebirthing spell you'll need something to attach into the body of the one that you want to revive. Why? Because that body is incapable of retaining life for itself, that's why you need to infuse the magic into a vessel that will retain the new life force instead of that person's body. Though if she loses that object she'll die again, is that clear?"

"She?! I never mentioned a she!" the young prince gasped "How do you–?!"

"I've existed on this world for longer than any other creature that you may have seen in your thousand years of life…"

"You mean that you have lived longer than anyone on this planet…"

"No!" the cloaked demon hissed leaning over the Ice Prince "I stopped living a long time ago! I don't live, I exist!"

"Is there a difference?" the icy wizard asked cynically.

The demon spirit chuckled "You, who are planning to toy with life and its nature, should be more aware of the difference than anybody else… Tell me prince, you do want your frozen maiden to have a soul when you bring her back, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I want her to feel, to enjoy and have a mind of her own!"

"In other words, you want her to live…" the cloaked being whispered quietly "You see the difference now? Okay Prince, I'll give you what you want."

She walked towards another fallen tree with the Ice Prince following her close behind. There was a plain red axe resting upon the hollow trunk and next to it was a small pouch and an antique book.

"Heh… Is that your spell book?" the reckless wizard inquired as he leaned down to grab it "Looks way older than the ones in the library! Maybe–!" his hand was slapped before he could brush the book's spine "HEY!"

"Don't you dare to lay your filthy hands on my precious stuff, is that clear?!" she growled "I had to pay a terrible price the last time you…!" her voice trailed off all of a sudden.

"The last time I did what?!" the prince inquired angrily while he rubbed his hurt hand.

"Nothing… forget about it…" she picked up her small pouch and smirked "Say, you want the vessel or not?"

"Yeah! That's why I'm losing my time in this creepy place with you!" the prince grunted.

"Hehe…fine, take a look at this…! Umm… would you please hold the bag for me?"

The Ice Prince nodded reluctantly, wondering why couldn't she just hold it with one hand and search for the vessel with the other, but he simply decided to ignore it; her pale hand rummaged inside the pouch for a few seconds until she slipped a turquoise gem out of it.

"You've seen this gem before, haven't you?" the demon spirit chuckled proudly "Its from Princess Bubblegum's tiara, stolen this afternoon while she was heading towards her precious kingdom.

"Is that the vessel I need for my spell?"

"Nope! This one along with some others are here to serve my secret purpose, but I can give you some spare ones that I got on my quest for the useful ones! One sometimes makes mistakes, you know…" she chuckled "Here, this one will surely look nice on your princess' forehead, wouldn't it? I took it from the Lumpy Space Princess while she was sleeping in the woods."

"That thing?!" the Ice Prince gasped disgusted "I don't want her to have anything to do with that ugly princess!"

"Very well, then how about this one?" the demon spirit shoved a diamond-shaped ruby from the pouch and handed it to the prince "I stole it from the Fire Count's crown shortly after the hero Billy defeated him in battle… It glows with a fierce flaring gleam, you can't say no to this beauty!"

"I-I don't know why but… I think it'll suit her…" the Ice Prince smiled "Fine, I'll take it!" he returned the pouch and bent his knees, ready to leap away.

"Not so soon, weenie!" the spirit yelled pulling the wizard's cloak down and slammed him onto the ground "I never say I'd give it to you for free, you must trade it for something valuable!"

"Like what?!"

"Like, I don't know… the gems of your crown, perhaps?" she purred.

"M-my… My crown?! Yeah, right! I'd never give away something so valuable, you must ask me for something else!" the young wizard snarled.

"There's nothing else! I seriously need those gems!" the spirit held her temple for a moment to try to calm herself down "Okay, fine… let's make a deal. I'll give you the ruby for free, but if you can't handle the consequences of what you're about to do, then… You will have to give me those gems, deal?"

The Ice Prince furrowed his brow, thinking her words better. Why wouldn't he be able to handle the consequences of his acts? He was the Ice Prince, nothing could stop him, and no one tells him what to do or what to bear!

"Deal!" the prince replied gesturing with his left arm to shake hands with her, but for some reason she stretched her right hand in reply "Hey what the heck are you doing? It won't work if you don't give me your left!"

"I-I…" the demon mumbled, "You give me your right!"

"It's a sword! Do you wanna get cut?!" the Ice Prince lunged forward in attempt to snatch her left hand, but when he reached the cloak he couldn't feel anything beneath it "Wh-where's the left half of your body?! What the math are you?!"

"I'm… I don't belong here, okay?!" she admitted "In fact, I don't belong anywhere! I was born as a half mortal and a half immortal being! When I died, only one part of me left, and the other remained here! I'm trapped between the two dimensions of life and death, for eternity…" the spirit sat down on the tree stump and sighed, "That's why I'm collecting gems…to change our fate…"

"Our…?" the prince inquired showing some empathy "What do you mean, our?"

"Soon… you'll understand it." She smiled "Have you figured how to get the essence of your princess?"

"I…umm…" the silver-haired boy scratched the back of his head "That one was a bit tricky…"

"It's easy, Ice Prince…" the wandering spirit answered as she rose from her seat "All you have to do is to remember… and to remember…" she pocked his forehead with her index finger, pushing him backwards in a rude manner "You just have to feel."

The prince rubbed his eyes in annoyance and peeled them open wishing to send her his best glare, but –much to his surprise, all what was left of her was her black cloak lying motionless and empty on the ground. She had vanished into the nothing…

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Well, my dear readers this it! Next week I'll be bringing you the last chapters of this story, so get ready for them!

Now I'd like to point something important for the future, _J Hellscythe_ gave me an interesting suggestion for the story, but I can't really take big suggestions that would change the main course of the story because I always develop its entire plot before posting it, and if I were to accept them, the story would have lots of loose ends and I'll have to re-write the chapters in progress. I'm glad to receive suggestions and I'll will gladly read them, and probably add them into the story if they don't mess with my planned plot line. So umm, sorry but thanks for trying to help me with the story. :)

For _coldblue__:  
_

No, your questions don't annoy me at all. Don't worry, you guys can ask me anything you want =D

–Well, I think this chapter answered most of your questions. And if not, I can't really answer some because they will spoil the next chapter.

See ya!


	24. Flame Princess

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twenty-four: Flame Princess**

That night the young wizard flew all the way back towards the Ice Kingdom carrying his princess with him, he had replaced the sword on his right arm with his old hand replacement to avoid hurting her by accident during their flight. It felt good to hold her in his arms; somehow it gave him a feeling that everything was going to be all right. The Ice Prince had brought her from within the deep darkness of the frozen lake, and soon he would open her eyes so that they can greet the light of day once again.

The girl's body was still cold and wet when he laid her on his bed; it made him worried, perhaps she wouldn't like to wake up all damp and messy, she might even catch a cold! The Prince commanded his penguin Jake to bring some clean blankets immediately, and then he stared at his princess thoughtfully.

"You seem to be deep asleep in that eternal slumber of yours…" he whispered as he stroke her reddish hair "Your face is so peaceful and calm, there's even a faint smile gracing your lips. I wonder what could have made you so happy the day you left my side…"

In a way, the Ice Prince was starting to feel guilty for being about to wake her from that tranquil rest. Nothing was causing her pain now, nothing could hurt her or cause grieving tears to leak out of her closed eyes. She had been safe in her crystal case, and he was aware that she would certainly find affliction and distress in the outside world, no matter how much she fights to avoid it. Her smile could easily fade away in any moment…

"Am I being too selfish?" the prince reflected "No, of course not! I'm doing this for you, my princess. When you finally lay your eyes upon me, I'll let you know it; I'll devote the rest of my days to you. I will be there to make you happy every single day of your life, I will keep you safe from harm and I will punish those who dare to open a wound on your skin or make you cry!" his hand left her tangled locks and rested on her face delicately "I shall be your new haven of peace, don't you worry my princess… No matter what happens after I cast the rebirthing spell, I won't ever stop loving you."

The silver-haired sorcerer walked away from the girl, longing to hear the soft whispers of her breathing in the room. Every time he glanced at her, he tried to convince himself that she was only sleeping, but it wasn't easy without the sound of her breath leaving and entering her chest. Ever since he could remember, that was all he wished to feel, her breathing.

The magic brew had been prepared a while ago, and the diamond-shaped ruby was waiting on the prince's table, already infused with the rebirthing enchantment. The Ice Prince just needed to encrust it on her forehead and chant the spell to be able to bring her back, but there was still something missing. The mystery of his princess' essence hadn't been solved yet, however, the icy prince had a clue this time; according to the demon of the Evil Forest it was an easy task. All he had to do was to remember, but remember what exactly?

The prince returned to the red-haired girl's side, holding the ruby on his flesh hand. Sitting next to her, the former human boy sighed and reflected. They had a past in common; he had no doubt about it. His feelings for her couldn't have been born from the nothing, he knew her once. He once knew what could please her and what could disgust her. He must have been an expert in the art of making her smile, laugh and love. If only he could remember…

"Who are you?" the millenarian wizard asked softly "What kind of person were you? If only I had a clue of how your personality was, I might be able to find the source of your essence and call you back… But I can't remember you! I can't remember anything…" he locked his sight on her motionless chest, the white bear cap on her hands captured his attention almost immediately.

The Ice Prince slipped it out of her grasp, apologizing for being so disrespectful and examined it closely. The white fabric felt natural on his hands, as if it had been a part of him in a distant past. He held the hat close and rested his face on it, letting its softness caress his blue cheeks.

"This feels so… weird… it's like something almost familiar…" he snapped his eyes open in realization "Feel? The demon spirit said something that felt familiar as well, something that I've heard before…" the prince dropped the bear hat and rubbed his chin thoughtfully "She said that all I had to do was to remember, and to remember, I just had to feel… but feel what?"

The wizard sighed one more time and touched the red-haired girl's face gently; she was the only connection he had to his past. Without realizing it, he found himself stroking her soft features. The prince went over every line of her face; her delicate eyelids, her small nose; just feeling her skin beneath his fingertips until he made contact with her cold lips. His heart began to pound wildly inside his chest, in a faint moment of lucidity her voice echoed in his head.

_"It's okay, Finn… remembering isn't hard…you just have to… feel me…"_

The wizard closed his eyes as he revived that moment; he could feel her heart beating weakly close to his and her hands barely grasping his shoulders. It was one of their last moments together; a sensation of fear seized his heart just like in that lost memory. Then she was there, right in front of him. There were no physical or intangible barriers separating their faces, it was a kiss. His fear vanished as he melted into her lips, letting her passion burn all his frosting doubts away.

He remembered it had been short and weak, but somehow, tremendously powerful. The Ice Prince snapped out of his trance, he was sure of the answer now. "She's passionate…" he affirmed clenching the ruby tightly "That's her essence; it's a fervent ardor, anger, enthusiasm, love and desire… all of those things combined are so intense! They are passion!"

The prince faced the girl with a gentle smile, for an instance he felt that he knew everything about her. His chest was bursting with excitement, it was a horrible sensation for an ice wizard like him though, but he didn't care. He loved what she was and he was willing to accept her fiery nature despite being his elemental opposite. Those differences were not going to torn them apart, he wasn't going to allow it.

The Ice Prince leaned over her, placing a kiss on her lips without thinking it. He focused on conveying the large amount of explosive feelings within him with that single gesture he had been craving for, since so long ago. If only she could return the action, if only she could feel what he was feeling now, the soft brushes he was giving her wouldn't have that meaningless taste. At least the prince managed to find some sense on his rash move after withdrawing his lips from hers; the ruby in his hand was glowing flamingly, which meant that he had succeeded in passing some of her passionate essence into her.

The young wizard wasted no time in using his magic to encrust the gleaming gem on her forehead and chant a series of incantations in a strange language. Once he had finished with the mysterious ritual, the Ice Prince backed away from his princess filled with expectation. At first everything remained quiet and still as if absolutely nothing had happened. But then, before our crazy sorcerer could complain, his wizard eyes perceived an odd ray of light piercing through the ceiling. A couple of seconds later, that same ray fired itself and bounced all over the room, setting everything ablaze. Of course those flames could only burn in the spiritual plane, but Ice Prince was too startled to take that in consideration before taking cover behind his bedroom's entrance.

He peeked into his room nervously after waiting a little, only to witness how the flames were suddenly absorbed by his princess' body to then explode out of it, this time heating the place for real, causing the prince to shriek in surprise and hide behind his wall again.

"W-what's this?! What's going on?!" the blue lad shouted, feeling how the ice he was leaning on started to melt down behind him "Did something go wrong or what?"

The Ice Prince peeked inside once again, this time however, his surprise and astonishment became even greater when he distinguished a humanoid figure wandering aimlessly amongst the roaring flames. The first idea that crossed his altered mind was that a fire elemental was attacking his castle for stealing the phoenix's ashes that afternoon; the icy elemental couldn't help to leap inside, commanding his roof to melt itself over the fire before his powers were disabled by the heat.

A painful shriek pierced his ears as a screen of steam blinded his field of vision, making the frightened prince even more confused and alarmed than he already was. Without thinking it twice, the icy ruler lunged into the thick veil of puffy white searching desperately for the intruder and his princess. How could have our prince guessed that they were both one and the same?

Some minutes passed before the steam diminished completely, revealing a fragile figure lying on the frozen floor. There were no signs of the fiery trespasser or the revived princess; only the dull-colored girl that was barely breathing at his feet, remained inside his room. The Ice Prince knelt by her side, recognizing her features instantly. It was her, his beloved princess. She had caused the fire. No. She was the fire.

"I-Impossible…!" the young wizard gasped with trembling eyes "My Frozen Maiden was reborn into a fire princess?!"

He gulped nervously as he examined her again. Her hair was turned into a duller shade of pink and her skin looked almost brownish. Now that he could observe her better, the Ice Prince noticed with embarrassment that the flames had burnt all her clothes away. Thankfully she was curled in position that would only reveal her bare back and legs, if not the master of ice and snow would have fainted next to her.

"Wh-what am I supposed to do now?" he mumbled "She returned as a fire elemental, keeping her nearby is way too dangerous!"

His blue eyes drifted back towards her; she was shivering and moaning weakly, while her doused body lied defenseless over the cruel coldness of his icy floor, she didn't even have rags to protect her naked skin from the burning ice. The prince rubbed the back of his head as remembered his promise; no matter what could happen after casting the spell, he would never stop loving her. Not even if she had returned as a potential threat to him, it wasn't her fault. She never asked for it, no one but him was responsible for her condition, and he was ready to accept the consequences of his reckless acts.

The Ice Prince stretched his shaky hand and grazed her upper arm nervously, closing his eyes and turning his face away almost instantly. He waited for a minute or so in that stance until he realized that there was no explosion (obviously the worst idea that could have crossed his brain about his current situation), no pain or burns. It just the warmth of her weakened flames. Feeling more relaxed and confident this time, silver-haired boy leaned closer to lift her off the ground, forgetting that holding her and even staring at her was a very dangerous task in that moment.

He quickly pressed her against his chest and cried loudly while his blue cheeks turned unnaturally redder "Jake, what the heck happened with the blankets I asked you a while ago?!"

The small penguin stumbled inside the half-melted room as his small feet got tangled in the navy-colored blankets, causing him to trip and roll towards his bothered master. The prince snatched the blue fabric with haste, letting his penguin spin around the room clumsily while he carefully wrapped the girl's body with it.

"Oh Jake, look at her…" the ice wizard whispered holding her tightly onto his chest "She looks so innocent… quite different from what I thought a fire elemental would be…"

"Wenk?" Jake inquired as he waddled closer to the couple.

"Dunno… When she wakes up, her fire would probably burn these blankets as well, I wonder what are a fire elemental's clothes made of… We need to get her a dress."

"Wenk!" the penguin suggested.

The Ice Prince widened his eyes in disbelief "You mean...?! Like going to the library and ask for a book about fire elementals and their customs?!"

An angry hiss left his gritted teeth before he could consider the idea better. He then rolled his eyes downwards and glanced at the unconscious princess resting over him. She wasn't dead anymore, her heart beat at a quick rhythm and her warm breath tapped his skin as her chest's size diminished and expanded itself softly. A smile graced the prince's features as he cuddled with her on a corner of his bedroom.

"You know what, Jake? That's not such a bad idea…" the young wizard said, lulling himself to sleep with Flame Princess' breathing. It was his wish come true.

**x+x+x+x+x**

That morning he woke up with an odd smell tickling his nose, the prince clenched his eyes closed tighter not wanting to abandon the comfortable position in which he was sleeping along with his princess. He wondered if Jake was cooking something, but then he remembered that there wasn't an oven inside his Ice Palace. All they would always eat were raw fishes and dried meat, then what on earth could possibly be the source of that tasty smell?

He opened his eyes lazily and yawned, hardly noticing the black puffs of smoke that were coming out of his cloak. Nothing that rubbing his lids and blinking a couple of times in confusion couldn't solve. The prince felt his skin burning shortly after that and leaped into the air, punching the flames out of his shirt, pants and cloak as fast as he could.

"Ow…!" A soft voice moaned below him.

The Ice Prince identified her voice instinctively, and flew back down to his fiery princess' side. He knelt at a safe distance from her, noticing that her flames were burning stronger now, giving her skin a golden glow and causing her red hair to flare upwards in a wild motion. A shy blush seized his cold cheeks as his blue eyes met her shiny amber ones for the first time. Though he hated fire in every single way possible, the dancing flames around her caused the prince to change his mind while he mentally assured that they made his princess look even more beautiful than she already was…

"H-hey… are you okay? D-did I hurt you?" the wizard managed to mumble as soon as he snapped out of his trance.

The flaring girl blinked in response and tilted her head, a look of curiosity and confusion enhancing her oblivious gestures. She didn't seem to understand what he was saying at all.

"Umm… Are you listening to me?" Getting a similar mute reply as an answer, the Ice Prince widened his eyes in realization "Don't tell me that you–! C-can you speak? Do you know how to talk?"

"Ta…alk?" the red-haired princess repeated doubtfully.

"Oh Glob, I see what's going on!" the prince gasped, "It's because I used a rebirthing spell! You have a child's mind now!" he backed away in frustration "Hehe… d-don't worry my princess! This can be reverted easily, I-I just need to fill your mind with knowledge! You'll learn fast, that's what the spell books say!"

The girl stared at him and giggled at his clumsy steps and desperation, which caused the Ice Prince to sigh and smile back at her faintly. She looked cute, he couldn't deny that, and while this seemed like a nuisance at first, perhaps it would be a great excuse to spend all his time with her. Teaching his princess about the world around her would be his new resolution. One that he was certain, both of them would enjoy greatly.

"Very well, first of all you must learn your name!" the prince declared "You're a princess that was born from the flames, that's why I decided to name you Flame Princess!"

"My name… Flame Princess." The girl replied confidently.

"Yeah, awesome! I-I'll go to the library immediately! There are lots of things you need to learn! Alright, first I must teach you how to read and then–…" he froze while his face flushed violently, the navy blanket that she had been holding over her shoulders had been burnt completely "Okay, change of plans! First I must teach about fire clothing and then how to read a book!"

"Clothing…!" Flame Princess chuckled unaware of her lack of clothes.


	25. Fire and Ice

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Chapter Twenty-five: Fire and Ice**

Astonishment seized Turtle Princess' face when the Ice Prince walked to her desk and asked politely for a fire elemental fashion book. That was the third time of day in which he had returned asking for the same thing. On his first try, the icy prince stormed inside and snatched the first book of the subject that he could find. He returned a while later, asking if he could change it. Turns out it was the biography of some "Tinderflam" guy, a famous tailor of the Fire Kingdom. On his second shot, the Ice Prince tried to be more specific and actually read the back of the book that he was taking home, however, that didn't seem to work either because he was back in the library, asking for the same thing in a matter of minutes.

It appears that the book he had borrowed earlier didn't have any pictures, and whoever was requesting that kind of literature needed desperately a reference of the garments of which that book was talking about. Confused and somewhat amused, the turtle librarian handed him a volume carefully chosen by herself with (in her opinion) the most wonderful and bright designs that a fire elemental could wear.

The Ice Prince left the building with a grateful display of happiness that Turtle Princess had never seen on him before. It made her wonder if she would ever see him back in the library again. Much to her surprise, the impetuous wizard did return the next day, this time asking for a spelling book and some fairy tales. Amazingly, the prince kept coming back almost everyday for three weeks. Each time he appeared to borrow a book of any random subject, his mood seemed to become less aggressive and more passive. Whatever had happened to him in the last few weeks must have been surprisingly good to cause that change in him. Turtle Princess couldn't be happier with her new favorite customer, whoever she or he might be.

Flame Princess had turned out be a quite curious girl. Since she learned how to speak fluently the only words that came out of her mouth where questions and more questions, and each "Why is the sky blue?" or "Why can't Jake fly if he has wings?" meant a new trip to the library for the winter wizard, who had also learned more things about the world around him in three weeks than in a thousand years of living.

Those were joyful days for the Ice Prince and his playful princess. For the first time in centuries, he had finally tasted what it truly meant to be alive; laughing, playing, learning and actually enjoying some else's company led him to conclude that, when he revived Flame Princess he had also revived a part of himself. Nothing could annoy him now, not even being forced to change his crystal palace in the Ice Kingdom for a stack of burning wood and a small cave in the middle of the Grasslands, or having to fly all the way towards the library everyday. If those actions could draw a smile on his princess' face, then everything was worth it.

The Ice Prince never thought he would feel the bitter side of life ever again until he ran into the so-called hero of Ooo one sunny morning. It had happened when he had just stepped out of the library. Joshua the Dog was waiting for him outside, with his arms crossed and an altered look on his face. The silver-haired wizard let out an irritated sigh and tried to walk past him, however, the bulldog managed to get a hold of his navy cloak and forced him to stop.

"Ice Prince, we need to have a serious talk. Here and now." Joshua said firmly.

"Sorry, but I'm late for a very important meeting at Wizard City. Now step aside 'cause these _'Very Important Wizard Matters'_ books are getting heavy!"

The grey-hatted dog snatched a pair of books from the Ice Prince's stack and arched an eyebrow in an skeptical manner. "'Princess Potluck and the Seven Knights?' 'Baby Eating Fox and the Babies?' Oh I see, really important wizard matters indeed!" Joshua replied sarcastically. "C'mon dude, my wife just bought this book for our babies! Get serious and face the facts, man!"

"What facts?!" the Ice Prince hissed with contained fury. All he wanted was to go home and read with Flame Princess, what was so bad about that?

The yellow dog sighed in concern. "Look, the last thing we want to do is to bother you. We…we've seen that you are actually a nice guy these days and well… is just that…" he scratched the back of his head. "Princess Bubblegum sent me to talk with you about some strange readings that appeared on her lab's monitors three weeks ago."

"I don't know what are you talking about! Now get out of my way or I'll leave you frozen on this spot for an entire month!"

"Please dude, hold on!" Joshua commanded. "This is serious! Princess Bubblegum detected a large amount of highly unstable radioactive energy three weeks ago at your Ice Castle's same location. I just came to warn you; whatever you're doing is wrong! You must get rid of the source of that energy, that thing is a threat for the whole land! Maybe even for the planet, please Ice Prince… Think about it!"

"Humph! You know what I'm thinking? I think that you and your bubblegum princess are just looking for a way to annoy me again! Well, let me tell ya one thing: That's not going to happen!"

The Ice Prince conjured his stormy winds and blew the yellow dog out of his way just by exhaling his powerful cold breath. Leaving the two books that Joshua had snatched from him behind, the prince leaped into the air and vanished within the clouds.

Joshua crawled out of the snow that had covered his body and shook his head in disappointment. "Very well… If that's how you want it, I'll have to find out what's the source of that unstable energy and control the situation myself…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

That encounter with Joshua had certainly left a nasty flavor on the Ice Prince that morning, but he wasn't going to let that ruin the rest of his day. He reached his new home and placed the books inside his cave. The fiery girl didn't seem to be inside there, nor did his loyal penguin companion. With an impatient growl, the wizard went outside and called Flame Princess' name, hoping to see her swirl out of the burning wood before him. However, she didn't.

He felt like freaking out in that very instant. Anything could have happened to her during his absence. She was still too reckless and oblivious to the perils of the outside world, Grod she was only three-weeks-old! The bluish lad dashed towards a random direction; hopefully he would find a trail of burnt grass or flames blazing somewhere that would lead him to her. Thankfully, that wasn't necessary. His pointy ears had managed to perceive the girl's amused giggles in the opposite direction.

The prince found his red-haired princess messing around with some goblins that were probably just passing by at the moment. The green creatures screamed and ran crazily in circles as Flame Princess fired small sparks at them, following Jake's instructions and then laughing along with the penguin when the goblins bumped into each other clumsily.

"For the love of—! Jake, what's the meaning of this?!" Ice Prince demanded angrily.

"Uh-oh…" the fire princess whispered, quitting her game right away.

Seeing this as a golden opportunity to escape, the three goblins ran away from the princess, leaving a trail of smoke behind them from their still burning butts. The girl noticed the prince's glare and left her seat on the charred grass while she dusted off her new sleeveless dress, which she had learned to create by morphing her own flames into fire fabric.

She walked towards the Ice Prince, holding her hands together nervously. The young princess understood perfectly what she was and was not allowed to do while the Ice Prince wasn't home, and wandering away from her bonfire was surely something that she shouldn't have been doing during his absence.

"I uh…" the girl attempted to apologize, but the Ice Prince just ignored her faint words and raged against his penguin servant.

The wizard ranted over why he had made Jake responsible of Flame Princess' safety, explaining him how dangerous it was for a fire elemental to show her face out of the Fire Kingdom. They were feared by everyone in the land due to their fierce nature and aggressive ways. The last thing the prince wanted was that Joshua or Princess Bubblegum herself find about his princess. They would obviously meddle in and take her away from him, especially after the lecture that the golden dog had just given him that morning.

"Now tell me Jake…" the Ice Prince snorted. "Why on earth did you let her wander around on her own?!"

The penguin shrugged, giving him what could be considered as a nervous grin and replied with a "Wenk…"

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard! Go back to the castle and help the other penguins to rebuild it, I do not wish to see your face near me anymore!"

Flame Princess bit her lips, knowing that her turn to be scowled had arrived and stepped in front of the prince, expecting a similar treatment. The Ice Prince eyed her in silence, shook his head, and asked her to follow him with a gesture of his only hand. The girl tilted her head in confusion, but did as said, not wanting to cause her prince more trouble.

"Are you mad at me too?" she asked once she had caught up with him.

"For some reason I'm unable to do that…" the prince replied, "I'm a little disappointed, though. You know I do this for your own good…"

"Why do you care so much about me, Ice Prince?" Flame Princess inquired, running a little to stop before him and face his worried stare.

The wizard felt that ridiculous sensation of heat crawling over his face and turned his head upwards while he crossed his arms. "I'm glad I don't have to go back to the library to answer that question, my princess… Though it's kinda hard to tell you the answer when you're staring at me like that, hehe."

"Why?" the flaring girl asked in curiosity.

"Well, b-because that's something that's never easy to… well… sometimes the right words just won't…ugh…" he glanced back at her and snapped his fingers in excitement. "Hey! Don't you wanna finish the story that we started yesterday?"

Forgetting her previous question, the princess grinned and nodded enthusiastically. The two of them raced towards the Ice Prince's cave, where he grabbed the book and suggested her to read it on the grassy hills. The hours flew away as the elemental couple went over every page of the novel, which they both seemed to be enjoying with delight. The prince would always hold the book for her and read it aloud while the princess tried to read along with him, mixing his voice with hers. It didn't appear to be an exciting activity at all, but it was pretty much the only thing that they could do together without hurting each other, or getting in trouble with the other inhabitants of the land. Besides, it was a great excuse for the two to sit close to each other and enjoy the other's company.

"_In the end, they had to part ways, for their differences were many… He was the complete opposite of her, just as she was the complete opposite of him…" _

"The end." The Ice Prince finished, closing the book and placing it aside.

He was quite pleased about having read something with a more mature ending. To tell the truth, he was somewhat tired of happy endings and childish stuff. It was great that Flame Princess had improved so much in just a few weeks. That would let them enjoy more exciting readings like the one of the 'Baby Eating Fox', if only Joshua hadn't gotten nosy that morning they could have read it before going to sleep.

The wizard sighed, struggling to forget about that dog's warning and grinned at Flame Princess, hoping to get a warm smile from her as well. She did curve her lips for him a little, but that sweet expression vanished from her face as fast as it came.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the prince inquired, tilting his head.

"Nothing, it's just that… I didn't like that book, it was sad…" Flame Princess replied, "What does _opposite_ mean anyway?"

The Ice Prince swayed back, pondering on what his princess had just said. "Umm…opposites are… things that are the contrary of the other!" he was happy with the answer that he had managed to come up with, but a very confused glance from the fire girl put an end to his brief moment of pride. "Umm… For example; light and dark or good and bad or—…"

"Fire and ice…" the princess whispered in sadness.

The silver-haired lad gave her a shocked look and leaned forward, trying to get as close to her as possible without causing her harm. "Y-yeah…in a way but… that doesn't have to apply to us, does it? You can't just—!"

Flame Princess reached out for his hand, causing an extremely painful reaction on the two of them. Both, the Ice Prince and the fiery girl, reeled away from each other's touch, a puff of steam emerging from their hurt skin.

"It does apply to us…" the princess stated with grief. "I had always wondered why we never touched or hugged like the princes and princesses from the books… We were never made for each other, were we?"

The Ice Prince turned his sight away from the girl, not being able to bear the look in her eyes. Of all things, why did she have to be reborn as a fire elemental? Was it because of the Fire Count's gem or the phoenix's ashes? Perhaps he made a mistake when he chanted the incantation, or perhaps it was just meant to be. After all she possessed a fiery nature, being her essence pure passion.

Staring at his hands in resignation, the prince realized that there was still something that he could do to repair the damage. His mechanic arm shouldn't hurt Flame Princess or let him feel the pain of her fire. Ironically, in a distant past he would've never used that arm with her, but now it was the only part of his body that could enter in contact with the red-haired girl directly.

"Hey… I understand now!" the Ice Prince exclaimed, turning back to face her. "You just made a mistake, you grabbed the wrong hand, silly girl!" He stretched his metallic arm and held her hand gently. Some steam came out from their contact, but this time neither of them felt pain. "You see? We were made for each other after all! Why would I have an arm made of steel if it wasn't to touch you, huh?"

"B-but you… You can't feel me with that, can you?" Flame Princess replied in disappointment.

"Of course I can!" the prince tapped the left side of his chest with his real hand and smiled. "Here… in my heart. You know why I care so much about you? It's because I… Because I love you…"

An astonished look filled Flame Princess' eyes, but it was soon replaced with a grateful smile. Her flames grew larger, displaying a powerful glow as she tightened her grip on the Ice Prince's metal hand and used her forearm to wipe away her fiery tears. The young wizard locked his eyes on hers, wondering how could bringing a beautiful girl like her back into his life be something _wrong_, like the golden bulldog had said that morning.

"_He's got a poo-brain, that's all" _the prince thought as he took his princess home, walking arm in arm with her. "Now you go to sleep, okay?" he said once they were standing in front of the girl's house.

"Ice Prince…" Flame Princess called before he walked away. "I love you too."

**x+x+x+x+x**

Someone was waiting inside his cave when the icy prince stepped inside. He recognized the round figure of the hero dog and furrowed his brow in anger. The Ice Prince conjured his frosting powers and loomed over Joshua in a menacing way.

"What are you doing here?! How did you find us?!" he demanded.

"It wasn't hard to find you using this little device that Princess Bubblegum gave me. It measures radioactive activity and I just received a lecture of a high amount of energy in the area. I was scared, it looked like if it were about to explode!" Joshua shoved the device in his pocket and walked towards the Ice Prince.

"Listen I know what's going on here, that girl is the source of the unstable energy… Her reactions seem to affect the intensity of the radioactive energy that comes from her body!"

"So what?!" the wizard growled bitterly. "She's not a threat! I'm taking care of her! Go tell your princess to leave us alone!"

"I-I can't do that!" Joshua shouted. "She… Imagine what would happen if that fire girl gets too excited! She would endanger the whole planet! Princess Bubblegum has already talked about this with the Flame King; he will accept her as one of them, maybe even as his own daughter for being a royal. It's a great opportunity for her; she'll finally be with her kin… Flame Princess doesn't belong here, my friend."

"Get out of my territory Joshua, or I swear to Glob that I'll impale you on an icicle!" the Ice Prince declared, fury burning within his cold blue eyes.

The dog shook his head and walked outside. Just when he was about to leave, Joshua turned around and faced the prince one last time. "You know you're putting her life in danger as well, do you? If you truly love her, you should let her go… Just think about it…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Well, the final chapter of this story will be hopefully posted this Friday and the epilogue on Monday. I know some of you don't want this to end but, well... maybe we can talk about a sequel after I post the epilogue. I still have to finish my other fics too, so it may take sometime. In any case, thank you for staying with me and supporting this story! Especially the reviewers for giving me their opinion and encouraging me to write, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all! :)

See you on Friday, and don't forget about this story's very special epilogue on Monday!

* * *

_**Update: Grammar checked and corrected.**_


	26. Prismo

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Final Chapter: Prismo**

Clutching his knees onto his chest, the prince sunk himself into the depths of his desperate mind. When everything was going just perfect for him and his princess a new nuisance appeared, it was like if universe just wanted to tear them apart and he needed to know why. Why couldn't they just be united if they loved each other so deeply? What kind of sick game were the deities playing with them?

The Ice Prince knew that he wanted to keep Flame Princess by his side forever; he hated the idea of sending her with the other fire elementals, they were such a despicable race and his princess wasn't like them at all. She was different, that's why he didn't mind to deal with her flames. Besides, what was that Flame King going to do with her? If she was such a threat to the world with her unstable emotions, then the most obvious thing to do was for him to lock her away from the rest of the world. It didn't matter if Princess Bubblegum or Joshua tried to allege something different, the Ice Prince was sure as hell that Flame Princess was going to suffer a great deal in that horrible blazing kingdom.

On the other hand, that golden dog said that he was putting Flame Princess' life in danger by keeping her with him. Why was that? They could perfectly take care of each other; all they had to do was to avoid physical contact and emotional bursts between each other, which was pretty much the same as not having her by his side…

The silver-haired sorcerer sighed sorrowfully; the cold and horrendous truth was that neither one of those two options could bring them happiness. The demon spirit was right, he had risked too much only to lose it all in the end… Her words echoed in his mind: _"__Careful icy prince, you're playing with fire here… a rebirthing spell has many implications; that's too much rules to break, too much fates to change and too much tears to shed…"_

"This wasn't meant to happen…" the Ice Prince sobbed silently "I shouldn't have brought her back to life, she doesn't have a place in this world… The only thing I've earned from this was to condemn her to a new life of pain and misery… I-I'm the only one who's responsible for this mess! If only I hadn't been so selfish! This was a mistake! Everything I've done in my worthless life is a mistake!"

Now there wasn't anything that he could do to mend his errors, thinking it over, Flame Princess would live better in the Fire Kingdom, even if that meant a lifetime of sadness for her. If she stayed with him there was no way for him to assure that she was going to be safe, he loved her way too much and that could kill her. It was as cruel as it sounds; the world was never fair with him… never…

The prince stepped outside and glanced at the flickering bonfire before him, his decision was made. He'd sent Flame Princess to the Fire Kingdom; it was the best he could do for her, he didn't want to see her die.

Some silent flames swirled out of the burning wood without the Ice Prince noticing them; they morphed back into the fiery princess' humanoid figure, then she slowly walked to his side and asked in curiosity…

"Can't sleep?"

Her voice ringed in his ears causing him to reel back in surprise, the Ice Prince glanced at her while a wild turmoil of contradictory emotions raged inside him. On one side, he felt really irritated; she was last person he wanted to see in that moment, wasn't she supposed to be sleeping? Why did she always have to be so unsubordinated?! Geez, sometimes she was worse than Jake…! But on the other side, the prince had found some relief upon seeing her smile and shine as bright as she always did. He admired her carefree features as a sensation similar to that of being awakened from a nightmare and finding out that the world wasn't such a scary place, struck his chest.

"What are you doing awake? I told you to go to sleep…!" the wizard reproached faking anger.

The Princess stared down at the ground while her hands played nervously with her long orange skirt "Well it's just that… Jake used to waddle around my house the whole night, and since you sent him to the castle I was feeling…kinda lonely…" she stared back at him, her amber eyes full of hope "Can I stay with you tonight? I-it'll only be for one night…"

The Ice Prince blinked in astonishment; of all the things that Flame Princess could have asked him that night, why did she have to come up with such a request? That was exactly why he had chosen to send her away from him; he couldn't deny her anything. What he was about to do was perfectly reckless and he knew it well. But it was so damn easy to fall into temptation… it was so easy for him to be seduced by her innocence… it was so easy to forget that his feelings for her could destroy the world…

With a soft smile, the prince reached out for his princess' hand and held it up, gesturing an imaginary kiss "It would be an honor to share a night with you, my love…"

"Thank you, Ice Prince…" Flame Princess' cheeks displayed a light blush as she glanced at the metal "hand" holding hers, she was somewhat tired of imaginary kisses and wondered what would happen if she did something about it "You know, I… I wouldn't mind to…feel a little bit of pain from time to time…"

"Me neither…" the Ice Prince replied as he abandoned his grip on her hand.

The fiery girl was slightly startled when she felt the prince's mechanic hand on her cheek. She had only suggested him to kiss her hand, but he was going for something else. His hand was slowly pulling her face towards his. Defeated by her own cravings, the princess closed her eyes and let herself drift into her prince's frozen lips. The icy monarch did the same, after all, how could something that felt so right be so wrong? Why should he believe in what that dog said? Since when had he started to care about others or the world itself? He was the Ice Prince, nothing could impede him from getting what he wanted, and right there, right at that moment, he wanted one single thing… He wanted her…

But what if he loses the only person he truly loves? The idea of watching Flame Princess explode and the drag the entire world with her scared him to death; his fear of losing her was so powerful that it even managed to stop their lips from meeting. No matter how much he wanted to merge with her that night, letting her fiery passion melt his body down, in the end his desires were nothing more than selfish wishes… they were nothing more than mistakes.

"No… this is wrong…" the Ice Prince gasped pulling away from the flaring princess "It's a mistake…"

Flame Princess stared at his grieving features feeling a mixture of fear and confusion "Why…? What's a mistake…?" she attempted to reach out for his hand, but her prince moved away from her touch.

The bluish lad tensed his jaw as his whole body trembled in angst "You… You are my greatest mistake…"

He didn't give her time to react, cry or feel betrayed by his cold revelation. A quick strike from his flesh hand diminished her body's temperature just enough to make her lose her consciousness, but not to kill her. Flame Princess collapsed in his arms letting the prince capture her in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered in her ear as his tears soaked his cheeks "It's not your fault… You never asked for this, I did…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Princess Bubblegum climbed the staircase leading to her bedroom and reached the edge of her bed with an exhausted sigh. It had been a long day for her, chasing runaway cats and cleaning Cinnamon Bun's disasters with the help of Peppermint Butler, but thankfully the day had finally come to an end and she was planning to enjoy those last hours of darkness with a well-deserved rest.

It wasn't going to be easy, though. The candy monarch had too many things in her mind to worry about, for example Joshua's patience and passiveness with the 'Ice Prince problem'. The golden bulldog had left her castle a few hours ago after explaining her the latest news concerning to the mysterious and unstable fire elemental, who had appeared from out of nowhere and for some reason was emotionally attached to the lunatic ice wielder.

Bubblegum wiped some sweat from her forehead as she struggled to keep herself from freaking out; the fate of the entire planet was at stake and Joshua didn't seem to be taking it seriously, why was he trying to appeal to the Ice Prince's common sense? If it depended on her, she would have already taken the girl to the Fire Kingdom without the prince's consent. Everyone's life was in danger for Grod's sake!

"Do my issues disturb your sleep, Princess?" a faint voice hissed outside her window.

The ruler of the Candy Kingdom snapped out of her blankets, recognizing the voice immediately and opened her window ready to face the icy prince with her firmest commands.

"Listen Ice Prince, it's too late and I'm too tired to deal with your weird creepy games, leave now or else I–!" the candy princess cut her words off when she met the slightly shorter figure of the Ice Prince floating before her with an unconscious girl in his arms.

"Don't worry… I promise that you won't ever see me again after this night ends…" the crowned boy said, "I just came to entrust you my princess…"

Princess Bubblegum gave him an astonished glance, was he going to surrender so easily? No fighting, no threats, no snowstorms during summer? It was hard for her to believe what she was seeing and listening, but a frosted trail of tears on the prince's cheeks motivated her to step aside and let him in.

The silver-haired lad walked towards the surprised princess and handed her his precious burden with great care "Please don't… don't be harsh on her…" he pleaded after letting go of the red-haired girl "She's only three weeks old and she's not very fond of following rules, but she ain't evil like you say I am… she doesn't even know that she's unstable and all that…"

"Ice Prince…" a dumbfounded Bubblegum replied, "Who is she?"

The young prince smiled weakly "She's the fairest maiden of the land, my Flame Princess…" he turned away from the sugary monarch and headed towards the open window "Please, promise me that you'll make sure she doesn't feel lonely when you take her to the Fire kingdom… She hates to be alone…"

Princess Bubblegum stared at the weary fire elemental in her arms and then glanced back at the wizard, granting him a reassuring grin "I will."

With that, the Ice Prince jumped out of the pink bedroom and vanished in the horizon as he flew towards the Ice Kingdom. Bubblegum never got to see him again ever since…

**x+x+x+x+x**

A furious blizzard blew from within the bowels of the Ice Kingdom that night, after its ruler locked himself inside his crystal palace, never willing to show his face to the world ever again. The silver-haired boy curled himself up in a corner, crying tears of disdain that split in sharp frozen shatters when they crashed against the cold floor. Amidst the shadows of the room, and the lonesome cries of the gusts outside his castle, the Ice Prince began to develop an intense hatred towards himself and his childish beliefs. How could he have thought that a spell could save him from his loneliness? Nothing and no one could save him, not even now.

The prince had realized that he didn't have a past or a future to conquer; fate had never been on his side, not even from the very start. The only thing he truly possessed was his golden crown, the source of his strength and his mastery of ice and snow. What a useless object it was…

"Damn you, stupid crown!" the Ice Prince yelled taking it off his head and slamming it against the closest wall "You promised me power and an eternal life, yet what use does those gifts have if they can't keep my princess safe?! They can't keep her close to me…"

He raised his sight and spotted the crown lying not very far from him, the impact had caused its scarlet gems to bounce away from their place on its front, but its owner didn't seem to care about it.

"I can listen to your whispers…" the prince said as he picked up his crown from the frozen ground "You want me to get those gems back and use your powers to avenge my misery…to make the world pay for everything it has forced me to suffer, heh… But I won't. I won't listen to you anymore, worthless piece of junk!"

He tossed the crown even further and collapsed onto his knees, letting his tears flow again "I've got nothing else to give or take… I'm done, it's over…"

"You're wrong…" a familiar female voice echoed nearby "You still have something to give."

The Ice Prince soon distinguished the dark cloaked figure of the wandering demon standing before him and chuckled wearily "Do I…?"

"I warned you, didn't I? Now you see the consequences of toying with life and fate itself…" she extended her hand forward and demanded firmly "We had a deal, this was way too much for you to bear, now give me the gems and I shall make it all better…"

"If that means that you're gonna disappear from my sight and leave me alone, then yeah, you can take the stupid gems…!" the prince cried as he crumbled to his knees once again "Now leave me…please…"

The ghostly figure snatched the three gems and vanished from the castle whispering "The time has come to put an end to this madness…" The Ice Prince ignored her, though. He was lost in the labyrinth of his mind, caught between his guilt for abandoning Flame Princess to her luck and his happiness for having gotten the chance to see her smile once more, even if it was for a short period of three weeks…

"Don't get me wrong, my princess…" he whispered "You were not a mistake…you were a miracle…."

"Oh, Flanna… that was your true name…"

"Wasn't it?"

**x+x+x+x+x**

She heard the voices of the deities discussing which board game should they play next, as the only half of her body that managed to endure the cruelness of death drifted through a dark blue space of dispersed rocks. Her foot traveled with swiftness, stepping momentarily on each different sized floating stone that would lead her to the gigantic cube-like chamber before her.

The mystic voices became louder after she used her only hand to lean on the high level entrance of the Time Room, her exhausted panting being drowned by their loud laughter. She wondered if those board games they were talking about were the deities' way of looking down upon the mortals' life, and if she ever was one of the many pawns that were thrown out of the board, never managing to hit a well-played checkmate.

With the last of her strength, she threw her incomplete body through the Time Room's entrance and landed with much difficulty using her right upper and lower limps to perform a graceful arrival. Leaning on her only arm, the strange girl got back on her only foot and stood before the astonished gods defiantly.

"_Who dares to interrupt the Cosmic Owl's Friday Game Night?!" _A golden bird cried indignantly.

Her red-colored eye stared silently at him and his other fellow god-like entities; a human with a brown beard framing his face and dressed with an 1800's elegant suit, a four-faced being and a pink-flat-shadow man.

She raised her hand to point the giant shadow man who was occupying most of the chamber's space, and ignoring the Cosmic Owl's demand she said, "I came for my wish…"

"_Humph! What a disrespectful creature. We pity you."_ The four voices of the strange Martian entity replied _"Don't you think the same, King of Mars?"_

The human adjusted his coat in silence curving a smile on his lips _"Careful my dear friends, we cannot judge this poor girl just for her precarious condition or the harshness of her words. It wouldn't be fair."_

The golden owl sighed in defeat and guided his other two partners outside, leaving the flat man alone with his visitor in order for him to fulfill his duty as the Almighty Prismo.

"_Hmmm…before I grant you your wish,"_ began Prismo with a friendly tone _"May I ask who are you and why is only the right half of your body visible?"_

"I've never been a full being…not even when I was alive…" the girl answered stoically. She was young, probably eighteen or nineteen-years old. Her skin was pale as the moon and she had long ebony hair. A glimmering fang showed itself from her upper lip as she smirked "I'm half demon, half immortal and I'm half alive… My name, as far as I can remember, is Marceline."

"_Marceline?!"_ the pink shadow shouted in disbelief _"Don't tell me you're the old woman from the screen! I was looking at you and your other friends through it after that human boy and his dog stepped inside here! It's because of that boy's wish that everything in your world went nuts, and then his dog friend just came with the bright idea of asking for a sandwich instead of helping him!" _

"Look, I don't know what are you talking about, all I want is to get my wish!" Marceline demanded in annoyance.

"_Okay, fine…fine…! There's no need to get mad, hehe!"_ Somehow Prismo found the half demon girl's impatient personality amusing and decided to give her a little tip. Perhaps this time he'd get the chance of granting a well-thought wish instead of a sandwich like the last time. _"Just be careful with your words, you won't get what you want if you're not extremely specific, okay? You can take your time to think about it if you want."_

"I've had enough time to think about it, a thousand years to be exact… I know what I want."

"_Oh! Very well…umm…if you're so sure, then go for it!"_

Marceline eyed the screen on the wall beside her and saw the paused image of the icy prince and his fiery princess trying to conceive their love despite the natural pain that it caused them "I wish Finn would've followed the red-haired girl home the night before the bomb was set off."

Prismo stared at her wide-eyed and confused _"Why would you ask for that? That would certainly prevent the bomb from exploding, but it won't really change your fate… You'll stay in that stinky cave as an old woman for the rest of your life!"_

"I wasn't really trying to change **my** fate…" Marceline pulled out a large stone brick that morphed itself into a book titled "Enchiridion" as soon as it touched the Time Room's floor and a bag filled with magic jewels of all sorts.

"_W-where did you get those?!"_ the omnipotent being asked in surprise.

"Never underestimate the knowledge of an antiquarian…" the half demon girl smirked "I've been traveling for centuries, waiting until the land of Ooo appeared in the maps just to gather these gems from each one of its monarchs as a wandering spirit. Then, I just followed the instructions that my beloved friend, Simon, left in the back of this book... I guess he wanted me to open the portal into the Multiuniverse so that I could meet you…"

"_Meet me?"_

"Yeah, I'm just fulfilling his last wishes…" Marceline displayed a nostalgic smile "He wanted to give humanity a second chance… That's why asked you to make that Finn guy follow the girl. He will defend her from those vandals and therefore, she'll never run into me, and fall from that cliff… She'll be back in the morning to meet Finn for their date. I know that together, they'll find a way to defeat the Destiny Gang for good, thus they will never need the crown…"

"_Whoa! You did take the time to think about your wish…!"_ Prismo grinned with satisfaction _"Okay, I'll grant your wish, even though it pains me to know that you'll spend the rest of your life as the crown's forgotten guardian…"_

"That's okay…" the incomplete girl chuckled "I'm the best friend of a forgotten hero…and I'm glad to know that our sacrifices won't be in vain…"

"_Right… you two have given humanity a second chance… Let's just hope they don't waste it…" _

"I trust they won't…" Marceline said as the other half of her body vanished as well "I want to believe that evil can sometimes be redeemed…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Well, that was it. I hope it was good enough for the final chapter, if not maybe the epilogue will take care of that.

I don't have much to say, thanks for all your support, it really means a lot to me!

Well, see you in the epilogue, I hope you enjoy this story's finale! =D


	27. Epilogue

**Tales of the Alternate Universe**

**Epilogue**

An elegant black coach pulled by four sumptuous horses stopped its pace right in front of the Mertens' property, calling the attention of an old farmer and his young son as they were working on the nearby cornfields. A mid-aged woman who was sitting on a rocking chair at the front porch of her house noticed this as well, and decided to stop trying to refresh herself with her old fan just to have a better glance of who was that unexpected visitor. A large russet-haired man descended from the coach, covering his eyes from the strong sunlight with his forearm. He pulled a silver cane out of the coach and hobbled towards the front yard, leaning on it. Mrs. Mertens immediately recognized him as Mr. Hacksworth and abandoned her comfortable seat to welcome him.

"M-Mr. Hacksworth…! It's been years…!" the woman greeted with a wrinkled smile. "May I help you with something? Do you want a glass of iced-tea?"

She couldn't believe that even after ten years, the red-haired man's appearance remained as intimidating and rough as always. Actually, that was the only thing keeping Mrs. Mertens from being defensive or impolite with him, despite knowing where had Mr. Hacksworth spent the latest decade of his life.

"No thanks, good ma'am." He replied in a polite manner. "I came here looking for Mr. Mertens…umm is he at home?"

"It depends!" a twelve-year old kid panted happily after running towards his mother's side. He had brown short hair and he was wearing a pair of torn blue overalls, which lacked of one shoulder strap, as his only dressing garment. "Are you looking for the bald one or the young one?"

Mr. Hacksworth leaned down a bit and messed the boy's hair with his heavy hand. "I'm looking for the one that might have a clue of my daughter's whereabouts, do you know who might that be?"

"Mom… I think this guy wants to know where Finn lives…" the kid replied worriedly, pulling his mother's skirt in uneasiness.

"I'm sure he does, dear…" the blonde woman sighed sternly. "Go to the house and prepare some flour. We'll bake cookies after I have finished talking with Mr. Hacksworth, okay?"

"Yay! Cookies!" the young boy cried in excitement, dashing into the old house.

"Hehe, what an eager little boy…! I really–"

"Mr. Hacksworth." Mrs. Mertens interrupted severely. "Before I tell you where my son lives, I want you to promise me something."

"Of course! Of course! What might that be?" the red-haired man asked nervously.

A frown marked the stern woman's features. "You must promise that you won't try to mess with my family. Understood?"

This startled Mr. Hacksworth a bit; he certainly wasn't there to deal with anyone else's family but with his. Staring at the blonde woman indignantly, the old widower nodded and listened attentively to her.

**x+x+x+x+x**

Mr. Hacksworth followed the directions that he had just received from Mrs. Mertens and arrived to a much smaller property near some picturesque meadows. There he found a humble log cabin with a nice handmade fence surrounding its garden. He decided to take a closer look at it. The sturdy man gazed at the tiny colorful flowers cultivated with great care in the front yard, feeling a little nostalgic. For some reason it made him think of his deceased wife.

The place was quiet and peaceful, Mr. Hacksworth noticed that the door was open, but he felt nervous about just stepping in since there wasn't anyone around. What could he do now? Wait until someone appeared? Knowing that the answer was obvious, the red-haired widower made a few steps backwards with the intention of taking cover from the intense sun rays of that summer morning, and wait under a nearby tree's cool shade. As he stepped back, he failed to notice a short golden tail behind him and inevitably stomped on it, causing its owner to release a painful screech. Mr. Hacksworth was obviously startled by this, and immediately removed his foot to free the tail from its heavy weight.

"Houw…!" an old golden bulldog moaned, lifting his chubby body from the ground as he walked away from the man who had just woken him up from his lazy nap.

Hacksworth scratched the back of his head in annoyance while he glared at the ground, his green eyes suddenly glimpsing some crumpled garments that were probably beneath that old lazy dog. With the help of his cane, the old widower bent over to observe them carefully. They were just a cyan-colored shirt and a white bear hat.

"Mertens…" Mr. Hacksworth whispered, picking up the clothes from the green grass.

"She wants this, she wants that…! If it's not one thing is the other…!" a shirtless young man complained in the distance, as he approached the small house, carrying a bucket with water in his hand.

The man didn't seem to notice that Mr. Hacksworth was standing nearby; he simply stopped his pace at a random spot and raised the bucket above his head to pour the water over his sweaty body, using his left hand to rinse his long blonde hair.

"I hope you don't think I'm smelly anymore!" the blonde man chuckled, turning his body around to face one of the cabin's wide windows. "I can't avoid getting all sweaty after plowing the fields!"

That was when Mr. Hacksworth noticed the mechanic prosthesis on his right shoulder and knew for sure that he was Finn Mertens.

"It's surely hot today! You know…" Mertens continued to speak with whoever was inside the house. "I found a nice hidden lake near the woods while I was making my way home and I thought that maybe… we could get rid of our sweaty clothes and refresh ourselves a little. You know, just the two of us… close to each other…floating in the water…listening to the silence of the forest and—..."

"Ahem!" Mr. Hacksworth cleared his throat to make Finn aware of his presence before he could hear more than he needed to know.

"Huh?" the young man faced him with a confused stare, which he instantly turned into a carefree smile. "Morning, sir! I was just …hehe… Speaking to my wife here! You know how it is."

"Yes, of course…" the widower hobbled towards the farmer and stretched his hand to greet him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Finn Mertens…"

"Umm… That's nice!" Finn replied, shaking hands with him. "B-but how do you know me? Who are you?"

"My name is Ignacious Hacksworth V, and I've traveled all the way here just to meet you. You see… I believe you're the only one who might have a clue of my daughter's whereabouts…"

"Daughter?" the blonde man blinked a couple of times while he tried to understand what that man meant, "Wait are you…? GAH! You're Mr. Hacksworth!"

"Brilliant…" Mr. Hacksworth whispered, rolling his eyes.

Mertens' face was suddenly filled with surprise, fear and embarrassment. He noticed that his clothes were hanging on Mr. Hacksworth's forearm and he quickly snatched them from him, feeling the urge to get himself fully dressed.

"H-How did you manage t-to find us? I-I mean, why would someone like you think that someone like me might know s-something about your wif—I mean! Daughter?" Finn inquired nervously once he had gotten his clothes on. Mr. Hacksworth was a terrifying man, Finn knew he would chop his head off and hang it as a trophy on his chimney, once he finds out the truth about his daughter.

The large man sighed, displaying a hint of sadness in his features as he pulled out an old envelope from his brownish coat and handed it to the nervous Finn silently. The farmer stared at Mr. Hacksworth in confusion, and then at the envelope with a puzzled look before daring to grab it. Opening the flat package in a quick manner, Finn found himself holding a great amount of familiar letters, which he soon recognized as the ones that he had sent to Flanna while she lived in the city. The paper had a yellowish hue and it felt somewhat stiff, but his messy handwriting was as clear as it was ten years ago.

"W-where did you get this?" Finn demanded in curiosity.

The red-haired man held his cane with both hands and leaned down as he stared at the ground deep in thought. "I… I made a terrible mistake…" Hacksworth began, "It cost me ten years of uncertainty, fearing for my daughter's safety while I was locked in prison. It was until I found myself trapped behind bars, that I realized that I had left my only child alone. I came to understand what it feels like to be enclosed without any way to escape, without being able to see the sunlight or to breathe the freshness of the air…"

"Those ten long years rotting in jail helped me to understand her... I now know the fear and distress that my daughter must have felt each time I used her mental illness as a punishment…" Mr. Hacksworth raised his sight and stared at Finn square in the eyes. "These letters… When I finally arrived home, my loyal butler told me that Flanna had fled to the country side. I was astonished when he explained me her reasons and handed me the package with all your letters… He said that she treasured them more than anything I had ever given her, and that if wanted to know why she had run away, then I would have to read them."

Finn blushed slightly and turned his sight away. "So you actually read 'em? All of them?"

"Word by word…" Hacksworth approached the blonde man in a menacing way and stood before him as a furrowed brow marked his features. "And there's just one thing left for me say after studying their content closely…"

The farmer backed away nervously, something told him that Mr. Hacksworth was probably going to kill him now. It hadn't been hard for the russet-haired man to get rid of his own brother, so murdering a humble farmer couldn't mean any trouble for him at all. Finn felt the urge to shout when he felt the old man over him, however, that fear vanished when he realized that Flanna's father was embracing him tightly.

"Thank you…" Mr. Hacksworth whispered gratefully. "You were there for my daughter when no one else did... Not even me —the one who had sworn to take care of her since she was born.

Finn's eyes were opened wide in astonishment. That was the last thing that he would have expected from a man with such a frightening reputation as Mr. Hacksworth's. It was certainly an unbelievable surprise, but perhaps, it could make it up for the one that was expecting Flanna's father inside his house, or at least make them even. In any case, the farmer was relieved by the large man's fatherly gesture, even though he was literally being crushed against Mr. Hacksworth's chest. It didn't matter how much those ten years of hard work had strengthened Finn's body, being hugged by the old widower was comparable to being strangled by a bear, and Finn's lungs were already starting to cry out for air.

"Ugh…I…uh… It was nothing, really!" the young man managed to gasp once Mr. Hacksworth had let go of him. "F-Flanna is… She was a good friend of mine…" he cleared his throat. "…Back then…"

"I suppose she was, that's why I think that you might know where she lives now a days…" the red-haired man said. "Please. I beg you, take me to her… I don't care if we have to travel a thousand miles to reach her, just lead me to my daughter and I shall be forever in your debt, good man…"

Finn bit his lips nervously while he held his arms crossed. "Lead you to your daughter…? O-okay, follow me inside then…"

Inside? Was Mertens going to grab a coat or something? Mr. Hacksworth couldn't think of any other reason to follow the young man inside his house. No. It couldn't be that she...? Was she...? As he strolled through the small living room, which seemed quite cozy and comfortable, his ears caught the faint melody of a woman's humming in the bedroom. It was a sad lullaby, yet it was its own feeling of sadness what made the melody beautiful. Mr. Hacksworth smiled unconsciously. He knew that song, or at least, he had heard it once, as well at that voice singing from afar.

Melancholy struck him right before he dared to step into the bedroom and then it hit him. The familiar lullaby, the voice, and Mertens' strange behavior had obviously something to do with the young woman sitting before him. She was focused on her mirror while she carefully brushed her long strands of bright red hair, humming her song softly. Mr. Hacksworth could have dropped his jaw open in surprise after connecting the dots, but he didn't.

Or at least, he hadn't planned to do it until his now twenty-four-year-old daughter noticed his reflection in her mirror and gasped in disbelief. Flanna made an attempt to spring up of her chair, but Finn dashed immediately to her side and stopped her from doing so. The farmer whispered something in her ear to calm her down a little as he helped her to stand up slowly. It was then when the widower's jaw reached the floor. He was going to become a grandfather, and it seemed that it was going to happen pretty soon as his daughter's belly couldn't get any bigger now.

Flanna faced him with furious a glare, yet her father remained admired of how much she had changed in those ten years that she had spent away from him. Flanna wasn't the girl that he used to carry on his shoulders every now and then anymore; she was a full-grown woman and her pregnancy was a proof of it. With an excited look in his eyes, Mr. Hacksworth walked forward to greet his daughter and congratulate her, but she avoided any contact with him, shielding her body in her husband's embrace.

"What are you doing here?" the red-haired woman yelled angrily. "How dare you show your face around here! Why don't you just go back to the dirty cell where you belong, and leave me alone like you did ten years ago?!" Some resentful tears leaked out of her green eyes.

"Hush… Flanna please, that's not good for you or the baby…" Finn said gently.

"No, she's right." the large russet-haired man replied with grief. "I don't deserve to be welcomed in here, not after everything I've done. I let my greed and my thirst for power take the best of me when all I really wanted was to give you everything you needed to be happy, Flanna…" he eyed the young couple and grinned. "I had to pay a very high price to understand that I had made a terrible mistake. I made you suffer, and even run away from the place that I had expected you to call home. I lost you and the best years of your life; all those moments we could have shared together, your wedding for example… If I could, I would go back in time just to see you wearing your white dress. I bet you looked beautiful…"

The farmer tightened his grip on Flanna's waist and smiled upon remembering that day. A weak grin graced his wife's lips as well, but it vanished as quickly as she laid her hurtful eyes on her father once again.

"To think that you never needed anything from the city or from me to be truly happy…" Hacksworth continued, "When I look at your bare feet and the simplicity of your home, I realize that not even all the money of the world can buy your smile. But this boy here, he barely earns enough money to keep yourselves alive, yet he can provide everything you need to be truly happy… Unlike me…"

"Flanna, my dear… I didn't come here to drag you back to the city with me. All I'm looking for is to give you my most sincere apology and hope that you might forgive me one day… I'm sorry I was so blind." The old widower sighed deeply and turned back to the door, walking away from the couple. "I wish you two the best… Congratulations for your baby."

Flanna stared at her father in silence as he stepped out of her bedroom. She felt angry, sad, and confused at the same time. She didn't know what to do. Her eyes then drifted towards Finn's searching for answer. The young man just grinned and nodded, unwrapping his arms from around her body so that she could catch up with her father.

Mr. Hacksworth froze in the middle of the short hallway when he felt his daughter's arms surrounding his sturdy frame. Flanna hugged him like she had never done it since she was a little girl and sobbed, "Dad… please don't go away dad… I still love you."

"My girl…" the massive man replied, returning the hug. "I swear in your mother's sacred memory, that I'm never going to leave you again."

**x+x+x+x+x**

The early hours of the afternoon fell upon Junktown as the young couple showed the soon-to-be-grandfather their few photo albums and told him about their childhood adventures and their plans for the future. Finn and Flanna were sitting together in a small old couch, their hands hooked up at all times as Mr. Hacksworth listened to them proudly on a simple sofa. He could only wonder what could have made them so united. The red-haired widower still couldn't believe that he had managed to survive ten long years in jail to finally find his daughter and win her trust back. He'd make sure to never lose it again.

Finn had become pretty excited when he began to tell Mr. Hacksworth about his latest victories over the Destiny Gang. The farmer would have never stopped talking about the matter if he hadn't felt Flanna's grasp becoming slightly stronger on his hand, her nails piercing his skin.

"Baby…" the young woman gasped, a look of distress in her green eyes.

"Yeah, give me a sec…" Finn replied, not really paying attention to his wife.

"Baby…!" Flanna repeated, this time in a more exasperated tone.

"What is it, Flan?" her husband answered doubtfully.

"Not you, donk!" she managed to shout as her other hand seized her belly. "Baby! The baby!"

"Baby…baby…baby?!" Finn shrieked as he jumped of the couch in astonishment and confusion. He wasn't fully prepared for that and was obviously nervous about the current situation, his concern growing with each painful moan that Flanna exhaled as she struggled to remain calmed. Her contractions were getting more and more recurrent as the seconds passed.

"What the hell are you doing, standing there like a fool?!" Mr. Hacksworth yelled, running to his daughter's side. "Go get a doctor! I'll take her to the bed, just hurry up! Darn it!"

"I-I left Bartram in the fields, I need to ride him if I want to reach the town quickly!" the farmer stressed, looking already more agitated than the young woman in labor.

"Ride one of my coach horses then, just get moving!" his father-in-law replied as he carried Flanna in his arms, thinking of what could have happened if he hadn't arrived to Junktown that morning.

Finn nodded and ran out of the house. He reached the coach and tried to untie one of the black horses from its reins, noticing with anxiety that they were stuck. The young man struggled using all his physical strength to pull the leather strands off the animal, but alas, he failed, falling onto his back when his stinging hands slipped from them. His blue eyes spotted a lumberjack axe not very far from him. The farmer sprinted towards it as fast as he could and used its sharpness to free the horse from the fancy coach. The steed neighed in fear due to the commotion, but Finn managed to calm him down and climbed onto its back, kicking its sides to leap towards the town.

Finn smiled with some relief when he met his young brother on the way. The little boy was ridding Bartram and was heading to his old brother's house at a regular pace.

"Hey bro, please!" the farmer pleaded as he commanded his horse to stop for a moment, "You gotta go back home and tell mom that Flanna needs her while I look for the doctor, okay?"

"Doctor?!" the brown-haired boy gasped in fear. "Did something bad happened to her?!"

"No, it's just—!" Finn kicked the equine's sides once more to rush into the town. "The baby is coming!"

"Baby…?" the young boy blinked, "Yay! I'm an uncle!"

**x+x+x+x+x**

The road back home turned out to be a very long path for the concerned soon-to-be-father. He had ridden over several obstacles, including one of the Destiny Gang's pranking assaults on his way to reach the doctor's office. However, once Finn had arrived there the medic apologized, telling Finn that she still had to take care of other people's medical afflictions before she could do anything for him. Though, she assured him that she'd pass by his farm later to check on the baby. Finn did the best he could to try to drag her home with him, being of course, worried to death for his wife's health. Sadly, he had to return home, only accompanied by his horse…. and Big Destiny.

"Stay away from me!" the young man yelled as he dismounted the black steed. "And stay away from Flanna! I don't want you near her or our baby!"

"Relax, One-arm… I'm not here to cause trouble! Look, if this is because we pushed you off your horse a while earlier, we already said we're sorry!" the weird-dressed man alleged. "Since you two kicked our butts during last year's Halloween party, the Destiny Gang swore to commit harmless crimes only! Like... pranking everyone and stealing from them… Except for Miss T. 'cause she feeds us with yummy apple pies, hehehe!"

Finn laid his hand on the doorknob, but didn't turn it to enter his house. He just faced Big Destiny with a fierce glare and stated. "Listen, Big-D… I already had enough of you. Please, I-I need to see how's Flanna doing and you creep the heck out of me… Leave us alone! Just for today, will ya?!"

"Humph! Well I'm sorry to hear that, 'cause I already told my men to bring Miss T. so that she helps the Firefly with her baby! But I'm not telling you that she's the best midwife in town, 'cause you already pissed me off with your negative attitude!" Big Destiny replied, crossing his arms and looking offended.

"W-wait… you did what?" the farmer inquired, widening his eyes in wonder. "Why would you want to help Flanna?"

"I could tell you that I help her 'cause, unlike you, she seems nice! But I won't, 'cause I'm too pissed off with ya!"

Finn repressed his laughter and rolled his eyes as he stepped inside his house, ignoring the shades-wearing man behind him. A feeling of gratefulness struck his heart when he met the friendly faces of his father, his brother and Miss Bonnibel, waiting in the living room along with Mr. Hacksworth and a very worried Jake, who was scratching the bedroom's door impatiently, hoping to make his way inside it.

"Is mom… with her?" the blonde man asked wearily, still trying to digest everything he had gone through that day.

Mr. Mertens nodded and patted an empty seat next to him, asking his son to join them in the waiting. A few minutes later someone started to knock the door outside, causing the already nervous Finn to leap of his seat and open it. Miss Teana Hanks stormed through the door, not even caring to greet anyone inside, a determined look seizing her wrinkled face.

"Where is she?" the old woman demanded as she rolled up her sleeves.

"I-in the bedroom with mom but—…" the young man tried to speak. "Can I help with something?"

"Help? You already did enough on your wedding night, sir! Making the baby wasn't enough for you? Now let a woman take care of the rest!" Miss Tea Hanks stated firmly as her eyes studied the many other amused faces in the small living room, an indignant gasp leaving her lips. "What is that convict doing here?!" the old lady cried.

"What?! How come this old hag is still alive after all these years?!" Mr. Hacksworth sprung up, looking as annoyed as Miss Tea Hanks.

"I'm more than alive, you criminal! I'm healthy and strong as a lion, 'cause I live my life the right way! I'm kind and honest, and that's why people like me! Unlike you evil sir, who likes to freak out everybody! What are ya doin' here anyway, Mr. Evildoer?!"

"Well, I happen to be the baby's grandfather, as if you didn't know that already, Miss Apple Pies! Actually, I'm wondering what are you doing here, losing your time with me, instead of aiding my daughter! Aren't you supposed to be the best midwife in here?"

"Oh… I'll be back soon with the lil' creature in my arms and I'll show ya what's Teana Hanks capable of, Mr. Criminal, sir!" the old lay scowled as she opened the bedroom's door and disappeared behind it, causing Jake to hit his nose against it on his attempt to enter.

The poor old bulldog sat in front of the door, moaning desperately for someone to let him in. Perhaps, in his own little dog world Jake felt that he was failing to fulfill his duty of protecting his family, by not being able to be on Flanna's side while she needed him. His small round ears were perked up as he listened to the young woman's struggle, causing him to become even more concerned and bark insistently at the door.

"Hush… Jake, good boy…" Finn whispered as he sat with him on the floor, next to the bedroom's door. The young man stroke the dog's golden fur to calm both him and himself down a little. "I know it sounds bad and you don't understand what's going on, but Flanna's going to be fine… Just wait and see, buddy…"

"Is my little nephew going to have a mechanic arm like Finn?" the youngest Mertens in the room asked all of a sudden, breaking the tense silence that had fallen upon everyone around him while they were focused on waiting.

Miss Bonnibel slipped to the boy's side with a soft chuckle. "No sweetheart, that's genetically impossible…!"

"Oh…" the kid nodded. "And what does that mean?"

Finn hugged Jake's body, feeling that time was flowing at an unbearable slowly pace. He couldn't shake off his worry, and so, the young man ignored Miss Bonnibel's voice as she explained enthusiastically everything she knew about genetics to an audience that couldn't really understand anything she said, but listened attentively to her anyway, hoping to distract themselves from their own worries.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity for the young farmer and his dog, the bedroom's door was unlocked. Mrs. Mertens walked through it, her appearance not really being a relief for Finn, who could only focus on the blood staining her dress and hands. The blonde woman noticed this and quickly hid her hands behind her back to avoid worrying her son as she glanced at him with a proud grandmother's joyful smile.

"Finn…" she said. "Don't you wanna meet your daughter?"

The young man couldn't find the strength to utter a comprehensible reply. He just got up on his trembling feet and dashed into the room. Miss Tea Hanks blocked his way for a moment while she took her time to lift the bloody towels from the floor and clean the mess as best as she could, never minding the now father's hurry to reach his wife's side.

"Calm yourself down, Finn…!" the old lady laughed, "See? I already finished, now I can leave the three of you alone in a more decent environment! It's much better that way, don't ya think?"

"Yeah. Right. Whatever… Just let me see her, for math's sake!"

"Woof!" Jake barked impatiently.

Miss Tea Hanks had enough of teasing the two frantic males before her and moved aside, letting them run towards the bed in excitement. Finn's heart leaped out of his chest when he finally laid his eyes upon his exhausted wife. Flanna's face was soaked in sweat and her red hair was a complete disaster, yet the peaceful smile on her face made her look like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. Jake hopped onto the mattress and snuggled at Flanna's feet while his owner lied on the other side of their bed, cuddling his red-haired dame in his arms as some tears of happiness clouded his blue eyes.

"Hey…" Finn whispered as he laid his forehead on hers.

"Hey…" Flanna replied weakly, accepting her husband's gentle lips on hers before introducing him to the small girl in her arms.

She stared at her father with her big green eyes in curiosity, being completely oblivious of the strange new world around her. Finn stroke the baby's soft skin with his finger, impressed by how small and fragile his daughter was. Some tears ran down his cheeks as he leaned in and kissed her tiny head softly. Her small hands grazed his face as he did this, she was so cute. She was his daughter, a miracle born from his love for Flanna. He had never felt so proud in his life, choosing to love Flanna instead of fighting her had been the best decision. Finn would never regret to have married his best friend, his old rival, his love.

"Hello there, little girl…" he whispered as both Flanna and her baby nestled themselves on his chest to get some sleep.

"I love you both so much…" Finn closed his eyes too, letting his own exhaustion drift him into sleep as well. "Can't imagine how life would be like… Without you…"

**x+x+x+x+x**

Meanwhile, five men with freaky-multicolored gowns gathered in front of a window, grunting and muttering as they all struggled to get a glimpse of the newborn baby. Of course, it was most likely impossible for them to stop fighting each other for a place near the window, and take turns to look through the crystal one at a time.

"Get out of my way! Big-D's coming!" their leader yelled as he fought to push his henchmen away. "I don't get why they won't let me in! Those two lovebirds got hooked because of me, that must make me part of the family or something!"

The five thugs tangled themselves in a mess of pocked eyes and stomped feet until they somehow managed to perceive an odd presence nearby. They all stopped their struggle when they noticed a sixth shadow on the ground with no physical owner. A shiver ran down their spines as the shadow grew in size, vanishing their own bodies' projections within it. All of a sudden, the mysterious shadow turned into a material entity and roared ferociously on their faces, scaring the heck out of them as they fled into the woods. The large shadow was then stretched back towards its owner, being dragged across the ground until it acquired the figure of a short round silhouette with a small hat on its head. The old half-demon lady laughed at her own mischievous prank, dusting off her wrinkled hands with pride.

"That will show 'em… hehehe…!" she bent over slightly to pick up a bag full of chicken eggs and made her way into the bushes, singing a made up song about having lunch.

Once inside her forsaken subway tunnel, the black-haired woman sat on the ground right next to her eternal, and only boney companion, ready to eat her recently stolen goods.

"_Well done…" _a voice whispered as a mysterious breeze swirled around the crowned skeleton lying beside her. _"You made a wise choice in sacrificing the wish I left for your personal use to save this world's fate… I'm very proud of you right now, Marceline…"_

"Huh? That better be you, Simon! 'Cause I swear I'm not going crazy, ya hear me?!" Marceline yelled at the emptiness, waving her curled fist.

A colorful beam flashed behind her shortly after that, materializing a single egg with a small note stuck on it, thanks to some sort of unknown magic. Marceline scratched her head as she approached the newly created object in curiosity and grabbed the paper.

_This egg should fill your tummy for an entire year! Enjoy its delicious flavor and return those eggs in your basket as soon as you can. The Mertens are really going to need that money now, don't you think?_

_PD: I don't know you, but I like this ending a lot better! Thanks for it! _

_Hope to see you again some day…_

_~P _

Marceline picked up the magic egg from the ground and rolled her eyes in amusement as she walked back to Simon's side.

"Destiny… Fate… Are our lives written in stone or do we carve the paths we wish to follow…?" the old half-demon pondered silently, "Perhaps... We do carve our own paths… One choice at a time…"

–**The End–**


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